RESEARCH SEED GROUP: PEACE BEGINS WITH FULFILLING THE DUTY OF CHILD AND ELDER SUPPORT
Colombian society faces significant challenges in effectively protecting the fundamental rights of two population groups that, although belonging to different generations, share conditions of special vulnerability: children and adolescents, and older adults. Both have been recognized under Colombian law as subjects of special constitutional protection, a circumstance that imposes reinforced duties of guarantee and protection on the State, the family and society.
Within this context, the right to support (alimony/maintenance) takes on particular relevance as an indispensable prerequisite for meeting basic needs, the integral development of the person, and the realization of constitutional principles such as human dignity, family solidarity, and the vital minimum. However, practical experience from university legal clinics shows that multiple barriers persist that hinder the effective fulfillment of support obligations, particularly affecting those who depend on these mechanisms to access the administration of justice.
This symposium proposes to analyze the legal, institutional and social issues affecting the claiming and enforcement of support obligations in favor of subjects of special constitutional protection. In particular, it will present the results of research conducted based on the experience of the Legal Clinic of Santo Tomás University, aimed at identifying the main difficulties users face in obtaining effective rulings and achieving the timely payment of legally recognized support payments.
The research adopts a mixed methodology. From a qualitative perspective, theoretical and legal frameworks are constructed to understand the normative and jurisprudential evolution of the right to support, as well as the obligations arising from the Social Rule of Law toward vulnerable populations. From a quantitative approach, institutional databases are analyzed and data-collection instruments are applied to cases handled by the legal clinic, in order to identify trends, recurring obstacles, and opportunities for improving service delivery.
Beyond diagnosis, the proposal seeks to generate alternatives that help strengthen the effectiveness of the judicial and administrative mechanisms designed to ensure compliance with support obligations. It also aims to demonstrate how integrating research, teaching and social outreach makes it possible to build innovative responses to real community problems, strengthening students’ practical training and consolidating institutional commitment to social transformation.
Participation in this symposium will provide an opportunity to reflect on the role of legal clinics and university legal consultation services as spaces for access to justice, applied knowledge production, and social impact, contributing to the academic debate on the effective protection of fundamental rights in Latin America and on the challenges institutions face in guaranteeing the dignity of the most vulnerable populations.
