2024-03-04 19:23:44
The general director of the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF), Astrid Eliana Cáceres, has revealed a worrying situation regarding the hiring of operators for child care in the country.
According to the ICBF, 220 contracts have been detected in the hands of 59 operators that present serious irregularities.
Among the anomalies found, contracts with the same legal representative, domicile address and date of incorporation stand out, as well as errors in the constitution format and in the purpose and scope of the contracts. In addition, cases have been identified of personnel records on payrolls with values higher than those actually paid, projects executed in shorter periods to evade payments to suppliers and improper collections.
The director of the ICBF expressed her concern upon finding that some operators with contracts have had a high incidence of deaths of girls and children associated with malnutrition. Consequently, the ICBF has decided to stop contracting with these institutions and promote greater control by citizen oversight. Organizations with contracts for child care that maintain links with political clans have also been identified.
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These actions respond to President Gustavo Petro’s call to stop corruption that affects the country’s boys and girls. Petro has highlighted the importance of closely monitoring the management of contractors to ensure that resources allocated to early childhood are used correctly.
In response to these irregularities, the ICBF is implementing a new contracting model that prioritizes community-based organizations as allies to guarantee children’s rights. Till the date, 786 community-based organizations have been selected to serve children throughout the countrythus strengthening democratic hiring processes and contributing to social justice.
Under this new model, it has been emphasized that contracting with the ICBF is a responsibility and not a business, and that children are lives that must be protected and not simple quotas in a contract.
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