The public health emergency that Colombia faces, with more than 150 thousand positive cases of COVID-19 and an economy (so far growing and fragile) that has us as leaders in job loss in OECD member countries, has led the country to a humanitarian crisis.
One impact of mandatory preventive isolation measures to stop COVID-19 infections has been the increase in social problems. For example, before the pandemic there were 2.4 million hungry people; With the pandemic, it is projected that extreme poverty could grow by 800 thousand people, which means an increase in food insecurity.
The pandemic has an indisputable social impact that affects vulnerable groups and people in society, and it is not only the government’s duty to face this crisis. Historically, solidarity is what has managed to overcome crises such as the reconstruction of World War II, German unification after the fall of the Berlin Wall or the fall of the Twin Towers as a society.
The government’s efforts to weather and overcome this crisis, good or bad, will not be enough, and civil society must act. The effort to face reality, to turn words into action, is the greatest challenge we have as a society, as well as acting from our realities, professions, skills and abilities to improve the situation of others.
In that sense, our role as lawyers is key to help overcome this situation. It is time to do pro bono work in favor of those who need it without having to have any motivation beyond being supportive; do it because we understand the ability we have to change the lives of others.
We must understand that, despite not being regulated in the exercise of the profession, pro bono work is an ethical commitment that goes beyond the internal policies of a firm, compensation, a bonus or a State policy . Pro bono work is the opportunity to apply our specialized knowledge in order to improve the living conditions of a person, to ensure the Social Rule of Law and to build a better country together.
The best reward is the gratitude of those who, thanks to the work done, were able to help or protect a right. The reason for doing this work should be to take pride in having the ability to share our knowledge with others. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the law as a tool for social change, through which it is possible to impact vulnerable realities and contexts in favor of material justice and the general interest of society.
By María Alejandra Salazar , Coordinator of the Practice Group ProBono < / a> by Gómez-Pinzón Abogados.