According to the United Nations, 1 in 3 women have suffered physical and/or sexual violence; worldwide, women earn only 77 cents for every dollar earned by men doing the same work; two-thirds of countries in the developing world have achieved gender parity in primary education.
Violence against women is a historical, systematic, and structural violence that manifests itself through different behaviors and affects all aspects of the lives of the women who are victims of it. These are some of their stories.
- "When I was 16, while I was sleeping, my cousin fondled me."
- "My first sexual intercourse was not consensual. It was rape."
- "When I was 17, my boyfriend hit me for not wanting to have sex with him."
- "When I was 14 a man chased me five blocks, he told me that he was chasing me because I was wearing a skirt."
- "A college classmate sent me photos of sexual content without me asking for it."
- "When I was 20 years old, a man I didn't know waited for me every day when I left work."
- "My husband never allowed me to study because according to him, I should devote myself to the home."
- "When I was a child, I found my dad kicking my mom on the floor, days after she had told him she wanted to work. I stood up to him even though I was only 10 years old. When we hid in my room, he came back in, poured alcohol on us and threatened to burn us alive."
In Colombia, 37 femicides were recorded during the first two months of 2021. We speak for those who are no more, and we do not forget them. We speak for us despite the fear of being the ones who do not return.
Acknowledging the lives and dignity of women who have been victims leads us to recognize the importance of eradicating all forms of discrimination and gender-based violence.