In the last years, poverty in Colombia supposedly fell significantly. Nevertheless, Colombia is one of the most unequal countries in the world in terms of income and wealth distribution. In 2019, the United Nations Development Program stated that structural and social inequality would continue to increase. It is still a problem for many families to meet their basic needs. Social deprivation and lack of education contribute to this situation, and sometimes children are forced into labour to earn a living—this is not infrequent in poor regions of the world. Thus, children are denied a fair childhood and access to education because of their social background. Growing up children are rarely given the opportunity, or only under very difficult conditions, to break out of their poor social position. Like their parents, they are inclined to spend their lives in poverty. On the other hand, Colombia is experiencing great economic development. As Jernej Letnar Černič states in its chapter "Corporate accountability concerning socio-economic rights in Colombia", Colombia is one of the most attractive countries in Latin America for foreign investors. He justifies this by citing the liberal regulation of the market, which is intended to mitigate the effects of the civil war. But Černič also directly recognizes the inequality here. According to his explanations, the long-lasting civil war has shaped the country with violence. The war ensured that money flowed to those in power, and politics has not set in place effective compensation mechanisms. For although Colombia is a country rich in resources, the population fails to break out of poverty. Inequality is generally one of the greatest structural problems in Latin America. However, according to Černič, Colombia is one of the pioneers when it comes to adapting National Action Plans under the UN Guiding Principles of Human Rights and Business. The Colombian government has always sought to address social inequality; yet a country's development is mostly based on its economy. Therefore Černič 's approach to corporate responsibility could be a valuable resource. It looks at the role of business in relation to socio-economic rights and how the Colombian government and courts deal with corporate responsibility in their country. This shows the influence of international companies, particularly, on the protection and violation of socio-economic rights. Opaque structures often lead to an unequal distribution of wealth in Colombia, and there are repeated cases of massive social protests in Latin America, for example in Ecuador and Chile, in addition to Colombia. Basic rights and structures are demanded. There are demands for improvements in education, health, transportation, and pensions—there is still a great need for development and action. However, overcoming these problems would also help to combat inequality. To this end you can follow Černič's result. Governments must cooperate with the business community to the extent that market regulation and new technologies enable socio- economic rights to be fulfilled, particularly with regards to environmental protection.
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