Chile

Mental Illness in Chile: Access to Resources and Stigma

We often hear “a right, not a privilege” in the debate over universal health care. Whether through the media, from politicians, the classroom, or our families, the adage is a fundamental belief which many people hold close. But like most sayings, the sincerity can fluctuate from person to person. Unfortunately, for many individuals, access to health care where needs are fully met is a privilege. Noncommunicable diseases like mental illness have a global history of going untreated, facing discrimination, and enduring abuse.

 

Access to Disability Resources in Chile

    Today it is estimated that one billion people have a disability of some sort (Disability Inclusion, 2020). While there is certainly a stigma about people with disabilities, their capabilities, and the impact they can have on society, growing efforts in research and activism are helping to change world perceptions of disabilities. In Latin America, a region with rich and diverse cultures, there are many varying opinions and perspectives on people with disabilities (Hiring people with disabilities is not charity; it’s good for business, 2013). According to the World Bank, “between 80 and 90 percent of people with disabilities [in Latin America] are unemployed” and “only between 20 and 30 percent of children with disabilities have access to education” (Rueda, 2018). Although these numbers are alarming, many countries are taking huge steps forward in terms of resource availability, employment, and inclusive education for people with disabilities. Chile, a country known for its dynamic political and social history, is one Latin American country in particular whose efforts and plans for disability resources are worth noting. 

 

Participación ciudadana y conflicto urbano: La transformación de la Ex cárcel de Valparaíso

By Camila van Diest
February 12, 2021
¿Qué reivindicaciones urbanas son canalizadas a través de la categoría de “participación ciudadana” en Chile? A pesar de sus limitados alcances democráticos, ¿qué revelan las apropiaciones sociales de esta categoría de acción pública, más allá de su orientación institucional? El artículo publicado en LARR aborda estas preguntas a la luz de la transformación de la Ex cárcel pública de Valparaíso en espacio cultural.
 

The Double-Edged Sword of Lithium Mining’s Sustainability in South America

With lithium-ion batteries powering electric cars, lithium mining is likely to be a high-demand industry in the coming years.  Much of the world’s lithium is found in the Lithium Triangle in Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia.  While at face value mining in the Lithium Triangle may be a good economic opportunity to power a more environmentally friendly means of transportation, the impact that it has on the environment and local communities raises the question of how sustainable it really is.

Chilean Inequality is Rooted in U.S. Foreign Policy

By Rosa De Ferrari
January 1, 2020

On October 18th, 2019, Chile, South America’s poster child of economic success, erupted in massive protests over a price increase in subway fare. Although less than 5 U.S. cents, the fare increase gave way to larger protests about/concerning an economic system that was not working for large swathes of the Chilean population. Decades of persistent inequality, economic precarity, and financial insecurity drove the protests to be some of the largest the region has seen in recent years.

Constructive discomfort

By Erika Abarca Millán
November 18, 2019

During the past few weeks, Chile has been experiencing a social movement, an awakening of sorts, that has moved people of all ages to the streets to protest against the living conditions that have made this country one with the highest levels of inequality in the world (BBCNews, 2019) There are several reasons that have led the country to the current state, most of them stemming from the reforms and neoliberal agenda adopted during the dictatorship.

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