In the military field, demotion is a sanction that implies the loss of position.
Degradation is a term originating from the Latin degradatĭo . The concept is associated with the verb degrade , which refers to removing a person's titles , distinctions and prerogatives , or to minimizing the powers or properties of a subject or something.
In everyday language, the notion of degradation is usually used as a synonym for disgrace , dishonor or humiliation . For example: "Why do you subject yourself to such degradation? You don't need the money" , "I will never return to this program: I suffered a degradation that I did not expect" , "I decided to get divorced to end the degradation" .
Degradation in the military context
Demotion, especially in the military field, is the action that consists of removing the position and privileges that a person held. If a member of the armed forces commits a serious offense, they may lose their insignia and suffer a reduction in the rank they held. Military demotion can include other sanctions, such as imprisonment or loss of pay: "The president, as commander in chief of the Armed Forces, ordered the demotion of the colonel."
It is a penalty , that is, a resource used by the State to act as a consequence of a criminal act in the form of restriction of the rights of the person who committed it. In this case, it is an element of military criminal law, which is appealed to formally record that the convicted individual is not worthy of continuing within the military corps and for this reason he is stripped of his insignia, his weapons, of his uniform, his rank, his decorations, his honors, his remunerations, his dignities and his benefits, in addition to expelling him from the institution.
Generally, military demotion is carried out through a solemn ceremony , either in front of the troops or in public, to accentuate the disgrace it represents for the affected person. This penalty is also known as a dishonorable discharge . In some parts of the world, less serious alternatives exist, such as separation from service, expulsion, loss of military status, and dismissal.
The idea of environmental degradation refers to the deterioration of the environment.
Its inclusion in armed forces legislation
Returning to the disgrace that military degradation entails, we can say that this characteristic makes it an infamous penalty . For this reason, many nations have questioned its viability because it violates human rights, and in some countries, such as Spain and Argentina, they have managed to remove it from their military legislation .
It is worth mentioning that for some time there have been countries that have sought the suppression of military criminal codes in favor of disciplinary regulations that are not criminal or special for that area, but rather that criminal conduct can be treated like that of any other citizen, with the same rights and obligations. .
Degradation according to the Catholic Church
The Catholic Church also has in its canon law a sanction known as degradation. Currently it is used in cases of lack of discipline and not as a penalty.
This is because this last resource can only be imposed by the State using the so-called punitive power . In ancient times, however, theocratic states did use demotion as a penalty.
Deterioration of natural resources
Environmental degradation , in another sense, is a process whose development involves the loss of natural resources. Pollution generated by humans, overexploitation and climate change are some of the reasons that can cause environmental degradation.
Suppose a person uses agrochemical products in his field with the intention of strengthening his crops and keeping pests away. Such continued and excessive use can cause soil degradation , which will lose fertility and, in the long term, productivity.