The International Office for Human Rights Action on Colombia

Women

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.

Femicide is the killing of women based on gender. Civil society organisations urge the EU and CELAC to demonstrate political will to end femicide.

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For the International Women’s Day, the Greens / EFA Group in the European Parliament with the support of civil society, ALOP, CIFCA, Oidhaco and Groupo Sur and together with the Heinrich Boell Foundation, organised a day dedicated to finding solutions to end femicide in Europe and  in Latin America at the European Parliament in Brussels. It is the seventh conference of this kind, which has been organised jointly since 2006.

European and Latin American states continuously fail to eradicate the violence against and killing of women

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Launching of a campaign that aims to highlight this phenomenon and to end the impunity. Joint press release and video.

Feminicide is the most extreme form of violence against women. Today, the European civil society networks CIFCA and Grupo Sur and the Heinrich Böll Foundation launch a campaign in the European Parliament that aims to highlight this phenomenon and to end the impunity that nourishes it.

We call for support from the European Union for women victims of the conflict in Colombia

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Oidhaco is deeply concerned by the dramatic situation faced by millions of women victims of armed conflict. Their active participation in the process of building a lasting peace is indispensable.

Colombian women, especially human rights defenders, women in situations of forced displacement, indigenous leaders, small-scale producers and afro-descendant women have been the invisible victims of the armed conflict in Colombia for over five decades. In fact, the “general agreement for ending the conflict and building a stable and lasting peace” between the Colombian government and the FARC does not contemplate any differential gender focus. This is discouraging in terms of the space women will have to participate in the process and whether their proposals will be heard. “Their active participation in the process of building a lasting peace is indispensable. They need the support of the EU”, said Oidhaco spokesperson, Vincent Vallies. Colombia will not find the way to building a lasting peace without the active participation of victims, as MOVICE recalled yesterday on March 6 during the public delivery of its peace proposals.

Press release – On International Women’s Day, for victims of the Colombian armed conflict

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On International Women’s Day, for victims of the Colombian armed conflict

“The international community should not accept that in a process like the one taking place in Havana, the perpetrators of crimes are more important than the victims. Sexual violence is a crime against humanity and should not be amnestied. The victims are the key to true peace-building and should participate in the talks in Havana. Pushing them side perpetuates a focus on the perpetrators. Countries must therefore insist on the active participation of women’s organisations in the current peace process” says Vincent Vallies, Oidhaco spokesperson.

The participation of women is essential to achieve lasting peace in Colombia

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Debate in the European Parliament on the inclusion of women in the current Colombian peace talks. Joint press release by Oidhaco and Grupo Sur.

Thirteen years on since the signing of UN resolution 1325 on women, peace and security, a milestone for the recognition of women by the international community as essential actors for lasting peace, the civil society networks Oidhaco and Grupo Sur have organized today at the European Parliament in Brussels, an event in which women took the floor and explained to the EU why it is essential for them to be taken into account in the current negotiations being conducted by the Colombian government with the FARC guerrillas.

We ask the EU to show responsibility towards women victims of war in Colombia

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On the occasion of International Women’s Day, Oidhaco calls upon the EU to show responsibility towards women victims of war in Colombia. Colombian women have become one of the most threatened and neglected groups in the Colombian conflict

Rape has been used by the armed actors in the conflict as a weapon of war. Both Oidhaco and Colombian human rights organisations are surprised by the absence of specific protection measures for these women and the silence of the Colombian government and the international community in response to this tragedy.

Briefing paper on Women in Colombia

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Women in Colombia suffer a double victimization due to structural discrimination and the situation of armed conflict. Oidhaco releases a briefing paper to denounce this serious situation and formulate recommendations.

In Colombia, as in other countries, women suffer structural discrimination and live in a clearly unequal position in relation to men. In a patriarchal society like Colombia, women suffer inequalities in all aspects of life: labour market access, land property and political participation.

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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