Invited to speak was the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Margot Wallström, Claudia Mejia Duque from Sisma Mujer and Adriana Porras Murillo from Alianza Inicativa de Mujeres Colombianas por la Paz (IMP).
Margot Wallström is a Swedish politician, and prior to this post, she served as First Vice President of the European Commission. After having focused the world’s attention on women’s suffering in Congo and Liberia Margot Wallström now turns to reporting the abuses in Colombia. The sexual violence is largely unreported and silence surrounds the issue.
Sexual violence is widespread within the internal conflict in Colombia and used as a weapon of war by all parties to the conflict. Domestic violence and violence against women in general have made them an especially vulnerable group.
The representatives from Sisma Mujer and IMP, Claudia Mejia Duque and Adriana Porras Murillo discussed the situation for women in Colombia using their own experiences addressing sexual violence. They emphasized that one of the most significant challenges is the lack of justice for victims/survivors. The legal system in Colombia is in need of reformation and a higher knowledge level amongst the government, the police force and the general attorney’s office on how to address sexual violence. Sisma Mujer and IMP called for a integrated government policy on how to tackle all violence against women and ensure that perpetrators are prosecuted. They also pointed out that even though there is a strong civil society putting pressure on the government and calling for change there is a desperate need for international support and assistance to make a difference.
Margot Wallström announced that she is planning a visit to Colombia, one of seven focus countries, in the fall. Both national and international organization have for a long time tried to get the world to pay attention that sexual violence is used as a weapon in the Colombian conflict. Therefor, it is an important step that Colombia has become one of the focus countries in the struggle against conflict-related sexual violence as well as against the massive impunity towards these crimes. Wallström will focus her efforts in Colombia on getting the government to prioritize sexual violence, talk to the armed groups and raise the issue of accountability with the justice system.
In the panel discussions, Wallström talked about the challenges facing women who seek justice, stating that many women have told her that they may get laws in place but no justice. Wallström introduced an idea that she has discussed with ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo that women should be able to seek justice as part of a class action, gaining support from one another. She also talked about the need for faster legal procedures so that women don’t have to wait long periods of time for getting their cases investigated.
RSS 2.0