Peru’s Wall Of Shame divides rich and poor to stop less well-off stealing from the wealthy

24.12.2015 10:00

These pictures show Peru's ten-foot high Wall of Shame topped with razor wire which divides the rich and poor to stop the less well-off stealing from the wealthy.

The divide, on the outskirts of the capital Lima, has been condemned as a disgrace by some residents with campaigners posting videos and pictures of it online in a bid to shame those behind the idea.

The structure, also nicknamed 'Peru's Berlin Wall' is made out of wire and cement and splits the neighbourhoods of San Juan de Miraflores and Surco.

The line divides the urbanisation of Las Casuarinas, where some of the country's richest inhabitants live, and the poor suburb of Vista Hermosa next door.

It was initially put up over fears that the inhabitants from the poor neighbourhood would steal from wealthy fellow citizens living nearby.

New images taken by a drone, showing the scale of the wall, have intensified the debate between the rich and poor.

A local media report said: 'The wooden houses illuminated by candles and the broken roofs are contrasted by multi-million pound houses within a few kilometres.'

YouTube video shows barefooted children walking along the outside of the wall.

Protesters have scrawled slogans on the side with one saying: 'My country is yours, my country is mine, my country is everybody's.'

Images were captured by three initiatives 'Muralist Brigade', 'Open Space' and 'Hunger', which came together at the weekend with the help of children and locals to paint a mural on the wall.

The groups, whose aim is to give colour to the cement construction, issued a rallying call on Facebook asking for 'hands and hearts to paint the wall of shame'.

Latin America, together with the Caribbean, has the highest wage disparity in the world, according to Oxfam.

In a 2014 report, the charity found the richest one percent own 41 percent of the regional wealth, whilst the remaining 99 per cent make do with 59 percent between them.

(dailymail.co.uk)