Strength and talent characterize Colombian women who have been conflict victims. On this March 8th, they make a call to society for an equal rights future.

March 8^th marks International Women's Day, a date that vindicates the rights to achieve effective equality and, in the same manner, a date that highlights the need to eliminate of all forms of violence against women and girls.

According to its mission, the Unit for the Victims has an important role to promote the rights effective enjoyment of women who have suffered the conflict’s impact; today there are 4,509,875. This figure equals 48.85% of all the people in the Single Victims Registry (9,231,426).

The victimizing acts that have affected women the most are forced displacement with 4,097,178; homicide with 505,895; threats with 273,437 and forced disappearance with 88,435, among others.

In order to care for and assist integral reparation for women and through its various actions since 2016 to January 31^st, 2022, the Unit for the Victims has delivered 3,553,887 transfers of Humanitarian Assistance for more than $2,000 million COP to forced displacement victims’ households headed by women. Similarly, since 2012, the entity has delivered 28,993 transfers to women victims of other victimizing acts different from displacement with an investment of $35,000 million COP.

Regarding integral reparation, it has delivered 708,029 administrative compensations that have benefited 665,345 women. As for the different psychosocial rehabilitation strategies, the “Vivificarte” strategy focused on sexual violence victims stands out, which has involved 6,450 women. On the same track, the Emotional Recovery Group Strategy (EREG in its Spanish acronym) works with 188,048 women, and in terms of psychosocial care in regional centers, 8,015 women have been attended.

Additionally, the Unit for the Victims is currently working on the collective reparation of 10 communities with women's organizations, which has an investment of $10,884 million COP.

Returns and Relocations registers 94,230 women household heads have been integrated locally; 2,650 have returned and 8,188 have relocated.

The National Victims Effective Participation Board has 26 women members from Victims' Organizations. Today, the Board’s Executive Committee is made up of seven conflict victims, six of whom are women.

Commemoration Activities

From March 4^th to February 9^th, and under the slogan: "We are strength, we are talent”, the Unit for the Victims supports the women conflict victims’ enterprises’ participation in a commercial showcase in Plaza Central Mall in Bogota.

There are products such as hair ornaments, bags and backpacks; honey-based products, cassava flour; natural fruit pulps, jellies and antipasti; filigree jewelry and natural fibers footwear with ancient techniques, among others. and services are offered such as: walks on ecological trails in Palmira, Valle del Cauca.

In the same way, among outstanding activities on March 8^th there’s the International Women's Forum, #ForoM, led by the Vice Presidency in Pereira, an event that shows women as transformation agents, economic growth, and peace construction protagonists. More information and registration at: https://www.foromcolombia.com/

(End/AVA/COG/RAM)