Colombia

In the isolated rural areas of the departments of Meta, Guaviare, Nariño, Cauca, Valle del Cauca and Chocó the nearest health centre is sometimes several hours away on foot or by dugout canoe. In these conditions, accessing the most basic health services is extremely dangerous.

The isolation of the people who live in these regions also leads to malnutrition and diseases linked to poor water quality. The situation is further exacerbated by the rape and violence suffered by women at the hands of armed groups or within the family. Widespread social control of women’s bodies by armed groups, sexual violence and other types of gender-based violence have a recurring and fundamental impact in areas where armed actors and illegal economies have a strong presence. There has also been a sharp rise in sexual violence against women human rights defenders.

282,800 female survivors of sexual violence in 2019

Five years after the signing of the peace agreement between the government and the FARC on 24 November 2016, the difficulty of its implementation has led to persistent violence in several areas and a number of armed groups continue to fight for control of territory previously held by the FARC.

According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), there are five ongoing internal conflicts in Colombia, which led to the forced displacement of over 25,000 people in 2019. The armed conflict has also helped to maintain a climate of fear and mistrust, with almost 28,000 people being confined to their homes and 400,000 more being subjected to movement restrictions. In addition, 250 community leaders and 77 former guerrillas who were part of the peace process were assassinated and there were 218 attacks against the medical mission, the highest number since the peace agreement was signed.

13 million people are affected by the conflict, including 7,700,000 who have been internally displaced.

Furthermore, the political and humanitarian situation in Venezuela is having enormous repercussions in Colombia, which hosts more Venezuelan migrants than any other country. Over the course of three years, the number of migrants has risen from 39,000 to 3.5 million. Only 20% of them have access to healthcare services and social security. Because of their high level of vulnerability they are particularly at risk from sexual exploitation networks, drug trafficking and forced recruitment. This has also contributed to an increase in stigmatisation and discrimination against the Venezuelan community.