Women's rights in Colombia

Women's rights in Colombia

Policarpa Salavarrieta, heroine of the Colombian Independence Movement. Portrait by Jose Maria Espinosa, 1855
Gender Inequality Index[1]
Value 0.460 (2013)
Rank 92nd out of 152
Maternal mortality (per 100,000) 92 (2010)
Women in parliament 20% (2014)[2]
Females over 25 with secondary education 56.9% (2012)
Women in labour force 60% (2014)[3]
Global Gender Gap Index[4]
Value 0.7171 (2013)
Rank 35th out of 144

As established in the Colombian Constitution of 1991, women in Colombia have the right to bodily integrity and autonomy; to vote (see also: Elections in Colombia); to hold public office; to work; to fair wages or equal pay; to own property; to receive an education; to serve in the military in certain duties, but are excluded from combat arms units; to enter into legal contracts; and to have marital, parental and religious rights. Women's rights in Colombia have been gradually developing since the early 20th Century.[5]

History

Background

Women in Colombia have been important in military aspects, serving mainly as supporters or spies such as in the case of Policarpa Salavarrieta who played a key role in the independence of Colombia from the Spanish empire. Some indigenous groups such as the Wayuu hold a matriarchal society in which a woman's role is central and the most important for their society. Women belonging to indigenous groups were highly targeted by the Spanish colonizers during the colonial era. Many indigenous women were subject to slavery, rape and the loss of their cultural identity.[6]

Throughout the colonial era, the 19th century and the establishment of the republican era, Colombian women were relegated to be housewives in a male dominated society. Education for women was limited to the wealthy and they were only allowed to study until middle school in monastery under Roman Catholic education. On December 10, 1934 the Congress of Colombia presented a law to give women the right to study. The law generated controversy, as did any issue related to women's rights at the time.

Educational rights

School girls in Colombia
Rights in Colombia

Animal rights
Children's rights
Civil rights
Collective rights
Fathers' rights
LGBT Rights
Group rights
Human rights
Individual rights
Legal rights
Men's rights
Natural rights
Reproductive rights
Social rights
Women's rights
Workers' rights
Displacement
Youth rights


Before 1933 women in Colombia were only allowed schooling until middle school level education. Liberal congressman Jorge Eliécer Gaitán defended the decree Number 1972 of 1933 while the conservative Germán Arciniegas opposed it, to allow women to receive higher education schooling. The decree passed and was signed by the Liberal government of Alfonso López Pumarejo. The state owned National University of Colombia was the first higher education institution to allow female students. Gerda Westendorp was admitted on February 1, 1935 to study medicine. Gabriela Peláez, who was admitted as a student in 1936 and graduated as a lawyer, becoming the first female to ever graduate from a university in Colombia. María Carulla founded in 1936 the first school of social works under the support of the Our Lady of the Rosary University. After these, women began not be seen as inferior by many for their academic achievements, creativity and discipline, and began to support the idea of citizenship for women following the example of other countries. The constant political violence, social issues and economic problems were one of the main subjects of study for women, mainly in area of family violence and couple relationships, as well as children abuse.

A group of women led by Georgina Fletcher met with then president of Colombia Enrique Olaya Herrera with the intention of asking him to support the transformation of the Colombian legislation regarding women's rights to administer properties. The law was named ley sobre Régimen de Capitulaciones Matrimoniales ("Law about marriage capitulations regime") which was later proposed in congress in December 1930 by Ofelia Uribe as a constitutional reform. The law's main objective was to allow women to administer their properties and not their husbands, male relatives or tutors, as had been the case. The move generated a scandal in congress. It did not pass, and later generated persecutions and plotting against the group of women. As leader of the group, Georgina Fletcher was persecuted and isolated. The Régimen de Capitulaciones Matrimoniales was once again presented in congress in 1932 and approved into Law 28 of 1932.

Suffrage rights

Women's right to suffrage was granted by Colombian dictator Gustavo Rojas Pinilla in 1954, but had its origins in the 1930s with the struggle of women to acquire full citizenship. In 1957 women first voted in Colombia on a plebiscite.

Family life

Cohabitation is very common in this country, and the majority of children are born outside of marriage. In the 2000s, 55,8% of births were to cohabiting mothers, 22,9% to married mothers, and 21,3% to single mothers (not living with a partner).[7] Family life has changed dramatically during the last decades: in the 1970s, 68,8% of births were inside marriage;[8] and divorce was legalized only in 1991.[9]

Issues

Domestic violence

Further information: Domestic violence in Colombia

In the 1990s, Colombia enacted Ley 294 de 1996, in order to fight domestic violence.[10] In 2008, Ley 1257 de 2008, a comprehensive law against violence against women was encted.[11] Marital rape was criminalized in 1996.[12] Article 42 of the Constitution of Colombia provides that “Family relations are based on the equality of rights and duties of the couple and on the mutual respect of all its members. Any form of violence in the family is considered destructive of its harmony and unity, and will be sanctioned according to law.”[13]

Abortion

Main article: Abortion in Colombia

Abortion in Colombia is severely restricted, although the laws were loosened in 2006 and 2009. The vast majority of abortions are performed illegally, many in unsafe conditions. [14]

The armed conflict

The armed conflict in the country has had a very negative effect on women, especially by exposing them to gender-based violence.[15] It is reported that one in five of women who were displaced due to the conflict were raped.[16]

References

  1. ↑ "Table 4: Gender Inequality Index". United Nations Development Programme. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  2. ↑ http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SG.GEN.PARL.ZS
  3. ↑ http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.ACTI.FE.ZS/countries
  4. ↑ "The Global Gender Gap Report 2013" (PDF). World Economic Forum. pp. 12–13.
  5. ↑ (Spanish) University of Vigo; political rights and citizenship of Colombian women
  6. ↑ (Spanish) Colombialink.com: First woman to enter a university
  7. ↑ http://www.fcs.edu.uy/archivos/Mesa_46_Castro%20Mart%C3%ADn%20et%20al.pdf
  8. ↑ http://www.fcs.edu.uy/archivos/Mesa_46_Castro%20Mart%C3%ADn%20et%20al.pdf
  9. ↑ http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-19390164
  10. ↑ http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/population/domesticviolence/colombia.dv.96.htm
  11. ↑ http://www.sdmujer.gov.co/images/pdf/ley1257.pdf
  12. ↑ http://www.omct.org/files/2004/07/2409/eng_2003_04_colombia.pdf
  13. ↑ http://www.omct.org/files/2004/07/2409/eng_2003_04_colombia.pdf
  14. ↑ http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/Unintended-Pregnancy-Colombia.pdf
  15. ↑ http://www.cidh.oas.org/women/Colombia06eng/part2co.htm
  16. ↑ http://www.omct.org/files/2004/07/2409/eng_2003_04_colombia.pdf

Further reading

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