Colombia

Women remain on the frontlines of political, legal, and social advocacy, while continuing to shoulder heightened risks of displacement, violence, and assassination. Worsening conflict between increasingly fragmented armed groups has not only led to direct violence against women and girls, but has also triggered lockdowns—or confinements—which exacerbate the risk of domestic violence and impede women’s ability to earn income. Women-headed households are particularly vulnerable to mass displacement, as they are forced to flee direct violence and, in some cases, to prevent the forced recruitment of their children into armed groups. Up to 40 percent of FARC’s 20,000 combatants were female; the demobilization and reintegration of these women remains fraught, with many feeling forced into traditional gender roles and unable to provide for their families. Concern for the safety of former combatant women also persists, as at least 12 ex-FARC women signatories to the 2016 peace agreement have been murdered. Women human rights and environmental defenders face harassment, sexual violence, and assassination when speaking out, with indigenous, Afro-Colombian, and LGBTQ+ people especially threatened; Colombia was the deadliest place for environmental rights defenders in 2023. These risks have been compounded in the last year as armed groups increasingly spread into fragile ecosystems. Efforts to recognize, reparate, and punish violence impacting women and girls continue, however. The Special Jurisdiction of Peace (JEP) opened Macro Case 11 in 2023, which will prosecute sexual and gender-based violations against civilians committed by both the FARC and Colombian security forces, as well as committed within both groups’ respective ranks. Strong Colombian civil society networks continue to monitor, advocate, and respond to insecurity impacting women and girls, with women holding visible leadership positions. 

Gender-sensitive stipulations of the 2016 peace agreement—already under-implemented, with just 13 percent completed as of last available monitoring—are now further jeopardized by the end of US foreign aid, which provided Colombia’s largest source of humanitarian and security financing. Women and girls endure the brunt of resurgent conflict, as the number of people impacted by conflict-related violence in the first half of 2025 rose by 333 percent compared to the same period in 2024. Venezuelan migrants as well as members of minority and marginalized communities are especially vulnerable; LGBTQ+ Colombians, for instance, face heightened danger from strengthening armed groups, as reports of calls for ‘social cleansing’—a hallmark of pre-2016 conflict—are re-emerging. Colombia is preparing now for the 2026 presidential race, raising concerns about renewed political violence and further backlash against the 2016 peace agreement in the coming months due to growing polarization.

Colombia’s President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella has faced criticism over misogynistic and sexist rhetoric during the election cycle, including harassment of a female journalist and statements about women voters which a judge ruled to be “political violence based on gender”. De la Espriella’s campaign featured frequent attacks on the press, including women journalists, raising concerns that his presidency may create a more hostile environment for women leaders, journalists, and activists.

Colombia’s presidential election occurred amid deep political polarization and a surge in violence, including attacks against political figures, armed group activity, alleged voter intimidation, and insecurity. The narrow victory of right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, who promises to crackdown on armed groups, organized crime, and drug trafficking, signals a potential departure from negotiated peace approaches toward a more hardline security-focused agenda. This shift risks undermining implementation of the gender provisions of Colombia’s 2016 Peace Agreement, which emphasize women’s meaningful participation, gender-responsive reintegration, and protections for women affected by conflict.

President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella’s victory signals a shift in Colombia’s environmental agenda, with his administration promising to renew oil and gas extraction and expand development projects in environmentally sensitive areas such as the Amazon. This comes as Colombia faces growing climate pressures, including heat risks across several major cities and increasing strain on environmental resources. For women and girls—particularly those in indigenous, rural and climate-vulnerable communities—potential setbacks may deepen existing inequalities by increasing exposure to extreme heat, displacement, food and water insecurity, and unpaid care burdens.

Colombia is facing severe and uneven food insecurity, affecting nearly one in three households. Surging violence and territorial control by armed groups have intensified physical and economic barriers to food access, particularly in rural areas. At the same time, Colombia hosts the world’s second-largest population of people internally displaced due to conflict, with approximately 7.2 million people having been forced to flee their homes. Women-headed households—which make up half of households in Colombia—Indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities, and rural populations face compounded risks as displacement, poverty, and insecurity deepen existing inequalities and heighten vulnerability to acute food insecurity.

Armed groups in Colombia continue to forcibly recruit girls, who account for roughly 30 percent of child recruits. Girls from poor and rural communities are commonly targeted—increasingly through social media—by armed groups promising financial security and protection. Those who return back to their communities—particularly survivors of sexual violence—frequently face heightened stigma and community rejection,making it difficult to seek support. At the same time, women who search for disappeared or forcibly recruited relatives face heightened risks of harassment, threats, and intimidation, underscoring the broader climate of insecurity and impunity surrounding enforced recruitment and disappearance.

Colombia’s passage of the first bill in Latin America banning female genital mutilation (FGM) marks a historic step toward eliminating a severe form of gender-based violence. The law establishes prevention, monitoring, and community-based response measures aimed at eradicating FGM. For women and girls, particularly in rural and Indigenous communities, the legislation represents a critical protection gain by strengthening state commitments to bodily autonomy and reducing risks of lifelong physical and psychological harm, though effective implementation and culturally sensitive outreach will be essential to ensure sustained impact.