Columbia

I was only 9 years old when my mother told me that that night would be special. She braided my hair, put on my dress that I used to wear on special occasions and while she was doing it she asked me not to cry, not to be nervous, that it was all for my own good. I didn’t really understand what was going on, but I trusted my mother blindly.  

We lived in an indigenous community in the mountains of Colombia, where traditions are respected without question. My grandmother, the wisest person in the family, was the one who made the important decisions. That night, she took me by the hand to the house of an old woman who lived far away from the village. A group of women made a circle around me, and began to whisper words of encouragement to me as they laid me on a palm.  

Then the pain came. A pain so deep that it took my breath away. I felt my whole body tense up, and tears fell silently as I remembered the request my mother had made to me earlier. When it was all over, my grandmother whispered in my ear:  

-Now you are pure. Now you are worthy.  

But I didn’t feel worthy, nor pure. I only felt pain.  

The next few days were a torment. Every time I tried to move, a pang ran through my body. Fever came soon, and with it, weakness. I did not understand why my body betrayed me, why my mother looked at me with sadness instead of pride.  

Within months, when the fever disappeared, my life was no longer the same. The laughter that used to accompany me in games with my friends had faded. I no longer ran through the woods or climbed trees as I used to.  My body had become a constant reminder of something I had never asked for.  

Over the years, I understood what had been done to me. I knew that many girls like me were going through the same thing. Also knew that there were women who fought against that practice, who raised their voices to protect future generations.  

This story is powerful, and the data that follows shows that it is far from alone…

Gender Violence in Colombia: A Silenced Emergency

Violence against women in Colombia is not an isolated problem: it is structural, sustained and deeply normalized. This is confirmed by the figures and shouted by the testimonies of those who have experienced first-hand the fear, impunity and neglect of the State.

Female Genital Mutilation: ancestral violence still alive and well

Despite being a practice prohibited by Colombian law, female genital mutilation (FGM) is still practiced in some indigenous communities, especially among the Emberá people.

In these communities, girls between the ages of 7 and 12 are subjected to this practice under the argument of maintaining “purity” or complying with traditional rites. Although FGM has decreased thanks to pressure from women’s organizations and public health campaigns, there are still annual reports of new cases, especially in Chocó and Risaralda.