Colombia: SCR 1325 - Civil Society Monitoring Report

01 May 2012

In Colombia, the Red Nacional de Mujeres, a member of the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders has launched ‘Security Council Resolution 1325: Civil Society Monitoring Report (2011)’. Although Colombia does not have a National Action Plan on SCR 1325, several organisations are working to influence the implementation of SCR 1325 and to give visibility to women’s roles in the prevention of conflicts, promotion of justice for women victims, and incorporation of a gender perspective in programs at the national level. Laws and policies have been adopted to overcome armed conflict and address human rights violations.

The report highlights how women are the primary victims of the violent actions perpetrated by armed actors including physical and psychological violence, sexual violence, forced recruitment as combatants and forced displacement. Although the State provides financial packages as part of humanitarian assistance this aid is a welfare approach that barely covers basic needs. 52%5 of the recipients of financial aid packages distributed by the government are women because they make up majority of surviving victims of armed conflicts. This has led many women to join civil society organisations where many of them also become leaders who are at the forefront of actions to claim their rights.

Armed conflict has also limited the access to social and economic rights leading young people, children and women to take part in illicit and criminal activities such as drug trafficking and forced prostitution.

The Colombia report is online at: http://www.gnwp.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/colombia1.pdf

To read the global report which covers Afghanistan, Burundi, Canada, Colombia, The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Liberia, Nepal, Netherlands, Philippines, Spain, Sweden and Uganda, please see: http://www.gnwp.org/what-we-do/policy-advocacy/in-country-and-global-mon...

Source:
Global Network of Women Peacebuilders