Anger As ‘Wall Of Shame’ Built To Divide Peru’s Rich And Poor In Lima

Outraged Peruvians have shared images of Lima’s ‘Wall of Shame’ - a structure that divides rich and poor neighbours - in a bid to shame those who built it.

The 10-foot-high cement and wire barrier, which has been nicknamed ‘Peru’s Berlin Wall’, has been constructed on the outskirts of the capital.

The wall splits up the neighbourhoods of San Juan de Miraflores and Surco. It 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 designed and constructed because of fears that inhabitants from the poor neighbourhood would steal from nearby wealthy citizens.

According to campaigners, these never-before-seen images have been taken to raise awareness and shame those who support its construction.

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

Some have taken to protesting by writing messages on the wall. One piece of graffiti says: "My country is yours, my country is mine, my country is everybody’s.”

The images were taken by three initiatives – Muralist Brigade, Open Space and Hunger – who 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 ugly cement construction, made a call on Facebook asking for “hands and hearts to paint the wall of shame”.

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

In a 2014 report, the charity found the richest one per cent owns 41 per cent of the regional wealth, while the remaining 99 per cent makes do with 59 per cent between them.