How many more need to die to act?
In January of this year, at least 21 women were victims of feminicide in Colombia, according to the Attorney General’s Office this Wednesday. Given this, the entity described the beginning of the year as “violent” for women in the country, highlighting the urgency of addressing this problem.
According to data from the Attorney General’s Office, two of the victims were minors and 11 of them were murdered by their partners or former romantic partners. The crimes, for the most part, were perpetrated with knives or sharp weapons, revealing the brutality of the attacks.
In addition, so far this year, the Public Ministry has issued 84 alerts derived from assessments by Legal Medicine regarding domestic or partner violence, a figure that reflects the seriousness of the situation. In comparison, throughout 2023, 848 alerts were issued.
Given this panorama, the Attorney General’s Office urged the Ministry of Equality and Equity to take immediate action “to guarantee the rights of girls and women to a life free of violence and at risk of feminicide, a commitment that demands immediate actions in the face of the alarming start to the year in terms of violence against women in the country.”
In response to this situation, the entity that is in charge of investigating, sanctioning and intervening, asked the Minister of Equality and Equity, Francia Márquez, “inform the Attorney General’s Office of the actions and progress of compliance acquired for the prevention and addressing of timely care for victims of femicides and the elimination of all forms of violence against girls, adolescents and women.”
Attention line
In emergency situations for victims of sexist violence or to report a case, line 155 is available in Colombia. This line operates 24 hours a day, is free of charge and operates under reservation. The specialized personnel who answer the line provide information on how to act in these cases, offer psychosocial and legal guidance, and can direct possible complaints to the National Police.