The City of Women, "the refuge"

It is no secret to anyone that Colombia has been fighting for 50 years to end the armed conflict that arises, and even in the midst of peace treaties and agreements the guerrillas, government forces and paramilitary groups are fighting.

Despite the countless attempts to agree to uproot this problem, it has been almost impossible to achieve it. Today there are still struggles between the paramilitaries and the army, attacks and endless subjugations by groups on the fringes of the law against the population that has nothing to do with this war.

Although it is true that the most affected in these struggles are children and women who have to move from their places of residence to protect their lives. About seven million people have been forced to leave their homes.

Women in this country are targeted to be subjected to acts of cruelty and sexual violence at the hands of armed groups. As a result of this, a group of women developed the construction of a town “Ciudad De Las Mujeres” in order to feel protected from war.

One of the victims, Érica María Maraskaro, tells how she had to leave her house in Montes de María, an agricultural and cattle-raising territory that is located between the departments of Bolívar and Sucre. "We had a happy life until the conflict began," where "the most heinous crimes" were committed, he says.

Women victims of the armed conflict affirm; the army rapes you, the guerrillas rape you and the paramilitaries also. The government shows complete indifference to the situation, and we were forced to create with our own hands a home that still does not fully protect us. This refuge is located in the municipality of Turbaco, department of Bolívar.

"Protection for women is increasingly difficult. The situation is not easy and the struggle continues. But that is the situation in this country, where this year at least 350 human rights defenders have been murdered," says Patricia Guerrero, founder of the League of Displaced Women.