At about 3 million people, Colombia accounts for the largest population of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Western Hemisphere and the second largest IDP population in the world. These Colombian citizens have been forced from their land by warring paramilitary, guerilla and narco-terrorist groups that compete for resources and power in Colombia. IDPs have often witnessed the murder of family members and themselves been threatened, abused and assaulted at the hands of these armed non-state actors. It is estimated that 54% of Colombia’s IDP population are women; mothers and single-heads of household who are unemployed, mainly uneducated and in need of dignified housing.
Most of these women flee with their children and few possessions to urban centers as they seek security and work, mainly in the informal sector. Their search is made all the more difficult as jobs are scarce and they lack even the small fees needed for childcare, school enrollment and primary health care.
While this desperate situation affects so many in Colombia, some displaced women have united together to leverage their few resources and become the very solution to their common problem. In 2003, the League of Internally Displaced Women, founded by Colombian activist and lawyer Patricia Guerrero, helped mobilize a group of displaced women who would defy convention and make a collective statement. With the help of Guerrero and funds from the United States Government, the group of displaced women negotiated the purchase of a plot of land from a private contractor in Turbaco, 11 kilometers outside of Colombia’s famous coastal town of Cartagena. The group of women set to work immediately, developing plans for their own 5-block town. The women worked together to build almost 100 houses, a community meeting center, a daycare center and a micro-finance cooperative. “The City of Women” has become known throughout Colombia as a place where displaced women have transformed from victims to agents of change, raising their children on principles of equality, nonviolence and self-sufficiency.
WCI President Marjorie Margolies with residents and program participants, City of Women, December 2008
While the City serves as an exemplar of women’s resiliency and empowerment worldwide, it is not immune from the continuing civil war in Colombia. Armed groups have continued to threaten its inhabitants and dump dead bodies outside of the town to stunt the women’s confidence and the neighborhood’s progress. Most notably, the City’s community meeting center was burned to the ground by armed groups on the night of January 20th, 2007. While many would accept defeat under these circumstances, the women only campaigned more diligently and ultimately were able to secure funds from the European Union and rebuild their center six months later.
Today, about 500 people inhabit the City of Women. WCI works with this population in the City’s restored community center to implement trainings on human rights, advocacy and incorporating the needs of Colombia’s IDPs in mainstream politics. Through its partnership with the League of Internally Displaced Women and Congreso Visible, WCI has implemented a training series for displaced women to review the history and functions of the Colombian Congress and its ad hoc women’s caucus. WCI’s trainings focus on organizing the needs of the community and then working with participants to create action plans for effectively campaigning for these needs through political channels. The WCI training in the City of Women culminated with a meeting between the displaced women and women members of Colombia’s congress to discuss how these elected officials could better function as a caucus, deliver on their campaign promises and represent the needs of IDPs and all women in Colombia.
Program participants critiquing gender-focused legislation in Colombia
Program participant in a community leadership and advocacy workshop
