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* Agencia de Noticias Nueva Colombia * Nyhetsbyrån Nya Colombia * Agence de nouvelles Nueva Colombia * Agenzia di Notizie Nueova Colombia E-mail: ann.col@swipnet.se
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[NOTES: "Limpieza social" --"social
cleansing"-- is a familiary feature in Colombia's mean streets. The "cleansing"
is conducted by security personnel and vigilantes. It involves the removal
and killing of "undesirables". -DG]
In the past, officers and vigilantes have been known to take part in social cleansing -- kidnapping and killing homeless people, prostitutes and street children.
Colombia child killer hunt widened
The authorities in Colombia have set up a special police unit amid fears that a child serial killer could be on the loose. Fifty-five bodies have been discovered over the past five years, many of them in mass graves. The killings first caught the public attention last November, when a total of 25 children were found around the city of Pereira, 110 miles from the capital, Bogota. As media coverage increased, evidence of similar discoveries began to
filter in from around the country.
'Devil worship' theoryNow, under pressure from worried parents, the taskforce which had been set up in Pereira is to be expanded nationwide.However, despite so much evidence, the police are no nearer catching those responsible or even establishing the motive. A favourite theory among Colombians is that the children, all boys, were the victims of Satanic sects. Satanism is said to be widely practised in the Pereira region, and the
police have long suspected that children were being snatched off the street
to be used in rituals.
Organ smugglingbut although some of the victims had been tortured and had body parts missing, there is no evidence to link the killings to any devil worshippers.The police are also exploring suggestions that the children could be the victims of organ smugglers or paedophiles. But another theory puts the blame on the police themselves. In the past, officers and vigilantes have been known to take part in
social cleansing - kidnapping and killing homeless people, prostitutes
and street children.
Hundreds reported missingMany of the bodies were of teenagers known to live on the streets and get money by begging.As well as the bodies found at Pereira, victims have also been discovered at 10 other locations. The scale of the killings could rise even further. Hundreds of children have been reported missing by their families in the past couple of years in Pereira alone. As the case continues to gather momentum, observers say it is likely
that parents will put further pressure on the police to come up with a
result.
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