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NEWS & LETTERS, December 2004Colombia: a struggle against oppressionEvanston, Ill.—My organization, Organizacion Femenina Popular, began 30 years ago. It was the first public manifestation of women's struggle and brought to the fore many forms of abuse. Prior to this women were invisible. We struggle for women's rights and to have violence against women recognized as a violation of human rights. We also have violations of women's human rights in health care, education and housing. The culture of Colombia and the state itself are steeped in a history of machismo. Once organized, we addressed the social issues in Magdalena Medio, an oil producing region and an important focus of social movement, particularly workers' rights. In the 1980s a lot of progress was made, but there was repression by the state against the organizers of these movements and the people in general. In that atmosphere the guerrillas appeared in the urban areas. In Magdalena Medio the people lived under the pressure of the state, then the guerrillas, and now the paramilitary. WOMEN TARGETS FOR VIOLENCE The guerrillas committed terrible acts of violence against women. Nevertheless the most horrific violations came with the paramilitary. The dispute for territories between armed entities makes women targets for atrocities. In one area the paramilitaries came and evicted people but made the women stay to cook, clean, wash clothes and serve the men sexually. They brought in a code of behavior that mandates how a woman dresses, what time she is to be back home, and how she is to behave. Women are assaulted, murdered and disappeared, and, called prostitutes because they work in bars. When women speak out against the regulations, they are publicly punished to show there is no way to fight against the paramilitary. Their hair is shaved off, their breasts are beaten and their hips are branded with marks of torture so they can no longer walk as they did before. In most cases they are raped. Most of this happens to the most impoverished women where the presence of the state has been practically nil. STATE PROTECTS THE OIL In Barancabermeja the forces of the state (the police and army) are present to protect the oil. All of the attacks by the paramilitary occur because the state has allowed them total control of those regions. The state doesn't care about impoverished areas that lack natural resources. The paramilitaries' control is extending to the whole country. We are a grassroots organization. In the face of a paramilitary aggression, the women are the first to know and inform our headquarters. The women often arrive before the authorities. In many cases their presence has prevented a disappearance or murder. We women oppose the war completely from a social, economic, political and civil rights perspective. In spite of the conflict, we still believe we have a beautiful country. But we must voice critique because information at the worldwide level is that Colombia is making great strides in human rights. It's not true. —Martha Arias |
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