Public services
Catering
The data provided by SISBEN in 2014[31] indicate that in commune 1 there are 34,465 homes that receive electricity service, while 42 do not have access to this service. The neighborhoods with the most homes without energy are Popular, with 11; Santo Domingo Savio No. 1, with 10; and La Avanzada, with 8.[62].
Regarding sewage service, 32,810 homes have it, while 1,697 do not have this infrastructure.[31] The neighborhoods with the highest number of homes without sewage are Carpinelo, with 293; Moscow No. 2, with 273; La Avanzada, with 246; and Popular, with 230.[62].
Domestic natural gas is the service with the least coverage. Only 8,341 homes have it, while 26,166 do not.[31] The neighborhoods with the most homes with this service are Popular, with 2,632; Villa Guadalupe, with 1,798; and San Pablo, with 1,561.[63].
Commune 1 houses 26,343 homes with landline telephone service, and 8,164 that do not have it. The neighborhoods with the most homes without this service are Popular, with 1,533; Santo Domingo Savio No. 1, with 1,522; and Carpinelo, with 827.[64].
Regarding the aqueduct, 34,066 homes are connected to the network, while 441 are not. The greatest shortcomings are in Carpinelo, with 136 homes; Popular, with 69; Santo Domingo Savio No. 1, with 60; and La Avanzada, with 52.[64].
In general, the coverage of public services such as electricity, sewage, water supply and landline telephones exceeds 90% in commune 1. However, domestic natural gas barely reaches coverage close to 25%. Although the general outlook is favorable, there are still homes without access to essential services, which, depending on their location, can lead to unhealthy conditions, especially in cases of absence of sewage or aqueduct.[65].
Education
The information provided by the Ministry of Education of Medellín, corresponding to 2014, indicates that official educational institutions predominate in the commune, numbering 25, compared to 12 private ones, of which 10 operate through direct contracting. These figures suggest that educational quality and coverage are closely related to the policies and management of public entities.[66].
Educational coverage in the commune is calculated from the comparison between the enrollments registered by the Ministry of Education of Medellín and the school-age population. As of December 2014, 31,581 students were reported enrolled. For its part, the school-age population—from 5 to 16 years old—was estimated at 27,714 people, according to DANE projections for that same year. This relationship gives an educational coverage of 113.95%.[67].
It should be noted that the enrollment figures mentioned correspond to students registered in educational establishments, but not necessarily to the final enrollment for the year. Furthermore, the enrollment data is associated with the location of the educational establishment, which does not always coincide with the student's place of residence. Therefore, it is possible that students enrolled in commune 1 reside in other communes, or that those who live in the commune are enrolled in institutions outside it.[68].
Regarding comprehensive early childhood care, the Ministry of Education reported that, as of November 2014, there were 914 pregnant and lactating mothers enrolled, along with 6,510 boys and girls, which totals 7,424 people served.[68].
Regarding higher education, the attendance rate among young people between 17 and 21 years old—according to the Medellín Quality of Life Survey (2012)—shows wide differences between communes. The highest rates are recorded in communes with greater development, such as El Poblado, La América "La América (Medellín)") and Laureles-Estadio "Laureles-Estadio (Medellín)"). In contrast, the communes of Santa Cruz, Popular and the township of San Cristóbal present rates of less than 40% for that year.[69].
Hygiene
According to the 2014 SISBEN survey,[31] in Commune 1 Popular, 32,764 homes had a toilet connected to the sewage network. However, 1,431 homes had a toilet without connection to the sewer or septic tank. In addition, 188 homes were identified with a toilet connected to a septic tank, 75 with a latrine or low tide, and 49 homes that did not have any type of sanitary service.[70].
At the neighborhood level, the situation is similar. The sectors with the highest number of homes without adequate connection to the sanitary system are Carpinelo, Moscow No. 2, La Avanzada and Popular, where homes with toilets without connection to sewage networks or septic systems predominate.[70].
Health
The network of health facilities in Commune 1 Popular is made up of five health centers and two hospital units. Although the latter are located outside the limits of the commune, they are at the service of their population.[71].
According to the 2014 SISBEN survey,[31] 43.60% of the inhabitants of the commune were affiliated with an EPS of the subsidized regime. In second place is the population without health coverage, which represented 30.59%. For their part, 22.24% were affiliated with the contributory regime, 3.21% with the New EPS, and 0.36% belonged to special regimes.[72].
These data reveal that 69.41% of the population – that is, 103,168 people – was affiliated with the social health security system, while 30.59%, equivalent to 45,468 people, lacked coverage. This situation raises the need to implement policies that improve access to health services in the commune.[72].
The comparison between data from 2009 and 2014 shows progress in coverage. In 2009, 75,315 people (49.19% of the total 153,122 inhabitants) were not affiliated with any scheme. In 2014, this figure was reduced to 45,468 people (30.48% of the total of 149,161).[71].
The first population study on mental health in Medellín, carried out in 2012, showed a very high risk of mental disorders in the communes Popular, Manrique, Aranjuez") and Santa Cruz. In contrast, the communes of Laureles-Estadio") and El Poblado") presented the lowest risk levels.[73].
In particular, Commune 1 presented high levels of prevalence in disorders such as generalized anxiety, agoraphobia, specific and social phobias, separation anxiety, major depression, dysthymia, bipolar disorder, attention deficit and suicidal ideation.[73].
Regarding substance use in 2014, 33.2% of alcohol consumption was recorded, followed by 3.3% of marijuana, 1.3% of cocaine and derivatives, 1.3% of non-prescription drugs and 1.1% of heroin and other substances. The prevalence of substance use disorders was higher among men.[73].
According to the 2014 SISBEN survey, 2,747 people with some disability were registered in Commune 1 Popular, which is equivalent to 1.85% of the 148,636 individuals surveyed. Of this population, 74.34% were in the lowest SISBEN scores (between 0.01 and 36.32); 8.26% were between 36.33 and 39.32; 9.43% between 39.33 and 46.50; and the remaining percentage was distributed in values less than 1.13%.[35].
Regarding the type of disability, the SISBEN 2013 report recorded a total of 2,761 people with some limiting condition. Of them, 34.70% had difficulties understanding or learning, 20.97% had difficulties moving or walking on their own, and 20.17% had difficulties going outside without help. Likewise, 9.31% suffered from total deafness, while the remaining cases, which do not exceed 7.39%, corresponded to difficulties bathing, dressing or feeding themselves without assistance, as well as conditions of muteness or total blindness.[74].
Security
In 2014, Commune 1 Popular had 5 security cameras, 7 quadrants, 26 motorcycles, 18 cars, a police station and an Immediate Attention Command. The security strategy was organized by quadrants, in order to prevent and interrupt the crime cycle in the commune.[78][79].
According to the Comprehensive Security and Coexistence Plan 2012-2015 of the Municipality of Medellín, during the years 2009 and 2010 there was an increase in crime, reaching 179 and 138 homicides, respectively. In the following years, 2011 and 2012, homicides decreased to 26 cases each year. The most frequent crimes in that period were violations of Childhood Law 1098 and domestic violence.[80].
According to the Medellín Personería, in 2014 the commune registered 13 homicides, a figure lower than the 26 cases that occurred in 2012. Compared to other communes, Popular had one of the lowest homicide rates. For example, commune 10 La Candelaria "La Candelaria (Medellín)") had 116 homicides, commune 13 San Javier "San Javier (Medellín)") 63, commune 7 Robledo "Robledo (Medellín)") 59 and commune 4 Aranjuez "Aranjuez (Medellín)") 57.[81].
Regarding suicides, the commune was located in the average of the city, with five cases registered in 2014. The highest figures were presented in commune 14 El Poblado "El Poblado (Medellín)") (12 cases), commune 10 La Candelaria (11) and commune 16 Belén "Belén (Medellín)") (9 cases).[81].
In relation to disappearances, 35 cases were reported in 2014, of which 24 correspond to men and 11 to women. Although it is not among the communes with the most absolute disappearances, this figure represents 22% of the total cases of disappearance in the city.[81].
The Popular commune is also among the most affected by forced intra-urban displacement. In 2014, it was ranked second in the city, with 584 displaced people, only behind commune 13 San Javier, which registered 1,119 people in this condition.[81].
Regarding sex-based violence, in 2014 there were no murders of women in the commune. However, 61 cases of alleged sexual crimes were reported, placing Popular in fifth place among the communes with the most cases. The highest figures were presented in commune 6 Doce de Octubre "Doce de Octubre (Medellín)") (80 cases), commune 3 Manrique "Manrique (Medellín)") (76), commune 8 Villa Hermosa "Villa Hermosa (Medellín)") (65) and commune 4 Aranjuez "Aranjuez (Medellín)") (64).[82].
Regarding domestic violence against women, 160 cases were reported in the commune, which is a high number. Although commune 8 Villa Hermosa led this category with 387 cases, the situation in Popular reflects the need to implement strategies focused on preventing and addressing violence against women.[83].
In summary, the security panorama in commune 1 reveals a low number of homicides and suicides, but also reveals serious problems, such as disappearances, forced displacement and gender violence. These factors make it urgent to design comprehensive public policies that improve coexistence and guarantee the rights of the inhabitants of the commune.[83].