The week of February 18 - 22nd Colombia was up for review by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination
of all forms of Discrimination Against Women which monitors the International
Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women, an
international human rights treaty of which Colombia is a signatory. As
signatory to the treaty Colombia is called to review every four years about how
it has improved on the implementation of the treaty. IELCO together with its
ecumenical partners in DIPAZ and other civil society actors wrote a shadow
report as an alternative source of information to the Colombian governments
report during the discussions in Geneva. Sara Lara, the coordinator of the
Human Rights program of IELCO was invited to be present in Geneva while the
Committee discussed the situation of women in Colombia. The Lutheran World
Federation highlighted this great experience in a recent article.
Colombia: Pushing for Peace and Women’s Rights
BOGOTA, Colombia/GENEVA 26/2/2019
https://www.lutheranworld.org/news/colombia-pushing-peace-and-womens-rights
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| Viviana Machuca (left), representing the Colombia inter-church platform DIPAZ, and Sara Lara (right), director if the human rights program of IELCO, in Geneva for the CEDAW shadow report on Colombia, meet with Rev. Dr. Martin Junge (center), LWF General Secretary. PHoto LWF/S. Gallay. |
Lutheran church joins other
civil society representatives presenting shadow report to UN’s CEDAW committee
The
shadow report, compiled by a coalition of NGOs including a network of churches
known as DIPAZ, is entitled ‘Women and Peace in Colombia: in search of full
rights’. It details allegations of human rights violations that continue to
affect the most vulnerable women in the country, despite new hopes for justice
and peace raised by the signing of a national peace agreement in August 2016.
Sara Lara
is coordinator of the human rights program of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church of Colombia (IELCO). She was
part of the delegation attending the CEDAW session in Geneva and she explains
the challenges faced by those working for human rights in her country today:
“We hoped the FPA [Final Peace Agreement] would usher in a new era of peaceful
relations”, she says, yet she notes that conflict continues in many areas of
the country.
The peace
accord, signed by Colombia’s government and the main guerrilla group, the
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), was narrowly rejected in a
national referendum, requiring a revision of the text that was ratified by both
houses of Congress in November 2016.
When the
original agreement was signed, Lara says, it was “a great success, because
women got a role and were visible”, with victims of human rights abuses
obtaining the possibility of reparations.
“When the
first peace agreement was rejected”, she continues, opponents of the accord
“tried to water down all language of protection for LGBT and women’s rights and
some of this protection was removed.”
In
Colombia today, Lara says, “it’s been like a step backwards” as conservative
political and religious forces seek to undermine the peace accord and reject
calls for greater protection of vulnerable women, including those who were
formerly members of armed groups. The shadow report notes that ongoing violence
in Colombia continues to have a disproportionate impact on women and girls in
rural areas, especially indigenous and Afro-Colombians, as well as women
migrants from neighbouring Venezuela.
Lara
explains there has also been a set back in terms of women’s rights cutting
across all social and demographic groups, as conservative groups challenge a
rights-based approach to women’s agency. Within the framework of DIPAZ, the
IELCO is working hard to reconcile conflicting views, so that the rights and
dignity of women and sexual minorities are not perceived as a threat to faith
or family life.
During
her visit to the United Nations, Lara says she saw how the Colombian government
claims it is making good progress towards peace and human rights and that “all
institutions of the state are working for the rights of women”. But she adds
that violence and discrimination continue to affect women, particularly those
in rural and remote areas of the country.
Lara
believes the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) can play an important role in
supporting work to promote human rights in her country. In particular, she
insists, it can continue to advocate for the many victims of Colombia’s
long-running conflict: “In the first peace accord they were at the core of the
agreements but now they are left on the side”, she says, adding that the LWF
can keep the focus on them through its “spiritual and theological voice”.
During
their visit to Geneva, members of the DIPAZ delegation met with LWF General
Secretary, Rev. Dr Martin Junge, who underlined the vital role that the
churches play as they continue to be a
key part of the effort to promote women’s rights in Colombia today.
Here
is a link to the executive summary of the shadow report.
