Avoidable mortality in childhood in Colombia: A kind of violence

Abstract

¿Is avoidable childhood mortality in Colombia a form of violence? This questioning generated the reflection presented in this text. The analysis of childhood mortality is surpassing the purely biological approach since this event is a reflection of the influx of multiple aspects such as social, environmental, economic and political, among others, which portray the vulnerability of this population group. Although at a global level the fight to control mortality has generated great achievements, low- and middle-income countries still present high and disparate figures between regions; many of these cases are related to a latent phenomenon, violence. The objective was to reflect on mortality in childhood as a form of indirect violence.
Preventable mortality in childhood has been analyzed from different approaches, from a purely biomedical approach to the analysis of the social determinants of health. However, the political aspects where violence is included have been little raised, even though it is clear that this type of preventable death is a reflection of different types of violence.
Conclusions or final considerations: Avoidable mortality in childhood requires being analyzed from a political perspective that allows us to identify the different types of violence that are portrayed in this event.
Avoidable mortality in childhood as a form of violence requires being analyzed from an intersectoral and multidisciplinary approach that allows us to prioritize actions to control it.