In Peru, the “wall of shame” that separates the rich from the poor is being broken

A 4.5-kilometer “wall of shame” separating luxury homes in Lima, the capital of Peru, from neighboring communities living in poverty, is being demolished almost forty years later. This was reported by Reuters.A wall up to three meters high and protected by barbed wire separates people living in dangerous residential areas on dirt roads from people with wealthy houses and luxurious mansions on paved roads.The wall, which has become a symbol of inequality, began to break down after four years of judicial struggle due to the decision of the country's Constitutional Court“it affects free transit, but undermines the dignity of neighbors. This is the division that separates the two social groups,” says trial master Gustavo Gutierrez, who oversees the process.The first section of the wall was built in the 1980s under the pretext of protecting the affluent La Molina district from the guerrilla group Shining Path (“Bright Path”), which is seen as a terrorist organization in Peru. However, after the group's defeat, the wall was expanded in the 2000s in an effort to “prevent illegal land occupation”.

In Peru, the move to the capital in the 1980s and 1990s led to mass settlement in the hills around Lima.

“This is a wall of discrimination. We cannot divide Peruvians into social classes. This is unacceptable, and nowhere else in the world is such a situation observed,” Gutiérrez said.