The International Office for Human Rights Action on Colombia

Day: 7 March 2025

Women Peacebuilders in Colombia

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“On the occasion of International Women’s Day, OIDHACO celebrates the role that women have played in building peace in Colombia and a fairer world”, says Maïté Verheylewegen, President of Oidhaco.

Brussels, 7 March 2025. This 8 March, as the world commemorates International Women’s Day, it is crucial to highlight the fundamental role that women play in building a more peaceful and fairer world. Women have been and continue to be crucial agents of change in peace processes and conflict resolution globally, promoting actions in defence of gender equality and fighting for structural changes in their communities and territories.

In a country marked by decades of armed conflict, women have played a crucial role in the search for peace and reconciliation. Throughout Colombia’s history, women have been agents of change and protagonists in the search for peace, and recent initiatives such as the adoption of the Law of Women Seekers[1] (Law 2364) in June 2024, are a reflection of the long road that organisations such as the Nydia Erika Bautista Foundation, together with women’s organisations in various regions of the country, have taken to continue their work in the search for and clarification of the truth.

The Law of Women Seekers marks a milestone in the search for peace in Colombia by officially recognising the crucial role of women in the construction of historical memory and national reconciliation. This pioneering legislation, unique in the world, grants women seekers the status of “peace builders” and subjects of special constitutional protection, establishing concrete measures for their comprehensive protection and well-being. It also guarantees their access to fundamental rights such as housing, health and education.  The law establishes 23 October as the National Day of Recognition for Women and Persons Seeking Victims of Enforced Disappearance, thus honouring their tireless struggle, and contributing to collective healing and progress towards lasting peace in Colombia.

In her intervention at the 58th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Maarit Kohonen Sheriff of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights stressed “the importance of the new law on women searching for victims of enforced disappearance“. She highlighted the unprecedented progress that this law represents in Latin America.  “The innovative capacity of women in peacebuilding and justice is a fundamental reason to encourage their greater participation in politics. In the 2023 territorial elections, only 13.3% of mayoralties were won by women, which shows the need to boost their presence in spaces for dialogue between civil society and the state, as well as in peace processes and dialogues with armed actors. We reiterate the urgency of implementing the gender chapter of the peace agreement”, concludes Maïté Verheylewegen, president of Oidhaco.

[1] Law that comprehensively recognises and protects the rights of women seeking victims of enforced disappearance.

Our solidarity is universal.

We are deeply concerned about all victims of armed conflict, repression and violence around the world — from Sudan to Syria, including the persecution of the Rohingya and so many other crises that often receive less international attention than they deserve. Each of these situations calls for solidarity, remembrance, justice and action.

However, we have decided to specifically highlight the message ‘Stop Genocide in Palestine’ because what is happening in Palestine represents not only a human tragedy of enormous magnitude, but also a direct challenge to the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law and to the rules-based international system itself. The indifference and complicity of much of the international community in the face of the apartheid regime imposed by the Israeli government on the Palestinian people represent one of the greatest moral and political contradictions of our time.

The persistent violation of essential norms — such as the protection of the civilian population, the prohibition of collective punishment and respect for proportionality in the use of force — not only has devastating consequences for the Palestinian population, but also erodes the global mechanisms designed to limit the power of states and prevent abuses.

When these rules are repeatedly breached without any effective consequences, the framework that protects all populations in conflict situations, anywhere in the world, is weakened. Therefore, speaking out in this case does not mean ignoring other forms of suffering, but rather emphasising the urgency of defending an international order which, if it collapses, leaves everyone in a more vulnerable position.

Drawing attention to this situation is, therefore, an act consistent with the universal values we uphold: the protection of life, human dignity and respect for international law, without exception.

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