The #SurvivorsUnited delegation has returned home after a powerful week in Colombia to share the needs and demands of sexual violence survivors with leaders. Nobel Laureates Jody Williams and Shirin Ebadi and Survivors United for Action members Jineth Bedoya Lima and Hania Moheeb traveled to Cartagena and Bogotá to hear first-hand the experiences of sexual violence survivors in the country — and witness the innovative strategies that International Campaign to Stop Rape & Gender violence in Conflict members are using to advocate for justice.
Highlights of the delegation included:
- A visit to City of Women to hear displaced women urge for more protection and social services for women
- A national live-streamed forum on sexual violence to spotlight the need for justice for survivors
- Meetings with officials in Colombia—including President Santos and the Ministry of Defence—to press for survivor reparations to be front and centre in the current peace negotiations.
Colombian members of the International Campaign to Stop Rape and Gender Violence in Conflict made clear the challenges facing survivors of sexual violence. Men dominate the peace-table, leaving little room for women’s voices in peace negotiations; armed groups continue to use sexual violence against women; and, impunity for gender-based crimes is rampant.
In the face of these challenges women in Colombia are uniting to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and demand justice. They are working together to take cases of sexual violence to the courts, provide essential health and psychosocial services to survivors, and raise their voices through creative media campaigns.
To see what you missed, visit the delegation blog.
Learn More
Check out some of the delegation’s media highlights below!
*Please note, the media highlights are in Spanish only.
VIDEO: Los combatientes usan nuestros cuerpos como armas de guerra, Noticias RCN, 2 February, 2015.
Tema de la violencia sexual será planteado a las Farc en las negociaciones de paz de La Habana: Santos, Radio Santa Fe, 3 February, 2015.
‘Fui violada dos veces por culpa de los paras’, El Tiempo, 4 February, 2015.
Premios Nobel llegaron al “corazón de las mujeres”, El Universal, 4 February, 2015.
En diálogo con nobeles, víctimas hablan de paz y reparación, El Tiempo, 4 February, 2015.
Ganadoras del Nobel piden más mujeres en las negociaciones de paz de Colombia, Que Pasa Mi Gente, 5 February, 2015.
MinDefensa y dos premio Nobel de Paz dialogarán sobre violencia de género, RCN Radio, 5 February, 2015.
Take Action
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Follow the International Campaign to Stop Rape and Gender Violence in Conflict on Facebook, Twitter, and check out the #SurvivorsUnited blog to learn how women are supporting survivors of sexual violence in Colombia!