UK Government called on to help address sexual violence in Colombia

UK agencies warn that despite some advances made by the current Colombian government, significant human rights concerns persist. They are calling on the UK government to raise the issues of conflict-related sexual violence at a United Nations review in Geneva today of human rights in Colombia.

Louise Winstanley of ABColombia, which advocates on human rights in Colombia and is supported by Christian Aid and CAFOD, said: ‘We are asking that a large percentage of UK’s funding to Colombia is directed towards work on sexual violence with civil society organisations that support victims of these crimes with legal advice, documentation of their cases, psychosocial support and accompaniment throughout the whole process.

‘Although peace talks are underway after five decades of conflict in Colombia, the violence continues in certain parts of the country. There is a vast under reporting of cases of sexual attack that occur,  and a failure to prosecute that amounts to impunity.

‘Women in Colombia who have suffered sexual abuse lack access to long term psychological support. Without the support of local women’s organisations, many survivors of would be too scared to come forward in the first place.’

UK agencies Christian Aid and CAFOD are particularly concerned at recent legal changes which puts evidence-gathering for conflict-related sexual crime in the hands of the military.

‘In peaceful countries like the UK, reporting sexual crimes is hard enough for the victim. Imagine how difficult it will be if the first person a woman has to report to is a member of the military, and the person she is accusing is part of the same institution,’ said Ms Winstanley.

‘We want the UK to urge Colombia to modify the new protocol, so that the military are not responsible for the collection and evaluation of information, or we will face an increase in impunity.’

The UN’s Universal Periodic Review of Colombia comes at an important time for the country. Peace talks are under way and advances have been made in the law in relation to land restitution.

However, only two per cent of all reported cases of conflict related sexual violence face prosecution. Of 183 cases that human rights lawyers managed five years ago to get prioritised as emblematic of the problem, just four have been brought to trial.

In addition, attacks on human rights defenders continue. Last year 69 in total were killed, with the numbers recently rising year on year.

Thomas Mortensen, country manager of Christian Aid in Colombia said: ‘We welcome the recent G8 declaration on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict which among other things, has stated that there should be no safe haven for perpetrators of sexual violence in armed conflict.

‘It is right that the Foreign Secretary William Hague and UNHCR special envoy Angelina Jolie are spearheading this drive to address the horror of sexual violence and we hope that the UK will use the opportunity of the UN review to shine a light on the pressing situation in Colombia’, he added.

Case study:

Elizabeth, a human rights defender, went to the home of a victim of sexual violence in a rural area to document her testimony. The victim’s husband had been killed by paramilitaries and she had been raped, as a result which she was pregnant. While Elizabeth was documenting the woman’s testimony, three hooded paramilitaries entered the home: the victim was raped again to prevent her talking, and Elizabeth too was raped. After reporting what had happened to the Attorney General’s Office, Elizabeth was subsequently attacked again. She was the 14th woman in the area to report sexual violence and has since fled after surviving two subsequent kidnap attempts.“The only thing that they want is to disappear me”she says, adding thatevery step she takes towards justice brings a new threat.

Notes to editors

For more information contact ppalmer@cafod.org.uk 07785 950 585