Latin America | Colombia | Activism

Revered Social Leader and Activist Killed in Colombia

Social leader Tatiana Paola Posso Espitia, 35, was shot twice in the head Wednesday morning in front of her house in El Copey located in the Department of Cesar when two men on motorcycles fired at the activist and fled the scene. The assassination occurred just as Espitia’s taxi driver, Wilson Ortega Palomino, arrived at her home to take the social leader to work, according to local media reports. The bad timing resulted in Ortega also being shot four times by the hitmen. He is in critical condition at a nearby hospital. The National Network for Democracy and Peace in Colombia

Latin America | Colombia | Crimes

Colombia finally cracks down on a horrific wave of acid attacks against women

Source: PRI

Colombia is finally taking action against what may be one of the most intense waves of horrific acid attacks on women anywhere in the world. President Juan Manuel Santos this week closed a legal loophole that often allowed attackers to get away scot-free. Official figures acknowledge 628 victims, but women’s rights activists believe the true toll may be far higher. Under the new law, signed Monday, anyone using any kind of “chemical agent” to physically harm another person will receive a minimum sentence of 12 years behind bars. If the victim is permanently disfigured, the

Latin America | Colombia | Activism

Women take the reins to build peace in Colombia

Source: UN Women

Nelly Velandia is a rural leader from Nuevo Colón, a village in central-eastern Colombia, who joined the agrarian movement at a young age. Seeing that those most affected by violence and inequality were women, she joined the National Association of Indigenous and Peasant Women of Colombia. Nelly Velandia, leader of the National Association of Indigenous and Peasant Women, following a meeting of experts in gender delegates who participated in the talks in Havana Photo: UN Women/Maria Reyero Her life has often been at risk, with constant death threats from various illegal armed groups

Latin America | Colombia | Activism

Peace in Colombia relies on tackling systemic violence against women

Source: theguardian

After more than 50 years of conflict marked by widespread and systemic sexual violence, Colombia has established a national day to remember the appalling suffering experienced by so many women, whose plight has until now been largely ignored. The first National Day for the Dignity of Women Victims of Sexual Violence caused by the Internal Armed Conflict takes place on Monday 25 May. The establishment of this special day and the inclusion of survivors of sexual violence in the peace talks in Havana aimed at ending the conflict demonstrate how public awareness of the issue is growing.

Latin America | Colombia | Politics

Are Women the Key to Peace in Colombia?

Source: Foreign Policy

After 50-plus years, 222,000 deaths, $9 billion in U.S. aid, and 34 rounds of negotiations, one of the world’s longest civil wars might finally be nearing its end. The Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (known by its Spanish acronym, FARC) have agreed to terms for political participation, land reform, mine clearance, and stemming the cocaine trade. Colombia’s president wants an agreement signed within months. Still to be resolved, however, is the question of how to return over 8,000 FARC fighters to civilian life, often within communities that bore the brun

Latin America | Colombia | Crimes

Colombia’s Supreme Court hands out 1st ever femicide conviction

Source: Colombia Reports

Colombia’s Supreme Court has ruled the country’s first ever case of convicted femicide, in an unprecedented decision set to please women’s rights campaigners earlier this week. The Supreme Court sentenced Alexander de Jesus Ortiz to 18 years in prison for the brutal murder of his wife, Sandra Patricia Correa, on the grounds that the killing was motivated by Correa’s gender. This overturns a lower court ruling that the murder had been a crime committed through passion and jealousy. "This is an unparalleled decision that makes it clear that what happened to Correa and other wome