Sexual Violence: The Hidden Side of the Colombian Armed Conflict

Tuesday, March 22, 2011 - 20:00
PeaceWomen Consolidated Themes: 
General Women, Peace and Security
Sexual and Gender-Based Violence
Countries: 
Americas
South America
Colombia
Organization: 
Open Society Institute
Location: 
Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Office on Colombia, the Open Society Foundations, and the Institute for Inclusive Security invite you to the U.S. launch of a report on sexual violence in Colombia, especially due to the armed conflict.

More than 480,000 Colombian women have suffered some type of sexual violence between 2002 and 2009 in areas where there is presence of the legal and illegal armed actors. Almost 90% of these crimes are not reported and those that are continue in impunity.

Please join us for a discussion with Olga Amparo Sánchez, coordinator of the study, and Jineth Bedoya, award-winning journalist and a victim of kidnapping and abuse by illegally armed actors.

Sánchez and Bedova will present the conclusions of the report, which is the result of a nation-wide survey. The report is part of the Colombian campaign, “Rape and other Violence: Leave my Body out of War," organized by a number of Colombian women organizations with support from Oxfam International.

The presentations will be followed by a discussion lead by Carla Koppell, director of the Institute for Inclusive Security.