Will Gustavo Petro live up to his promises to Colombia's women?
Will Gustavo Petro live up to his promises to Colombia’s women?
Petro campaigned alongside Francia Marquez on a platform that promised to prioritise women and the dangers they face in areas of conflict.
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A mural of Francia Marquez in her home town of Suarez, Buenos Aires, Cauca. Marquez will become Colombia's first Afro-Colombian vice president when she takes office in August [Julia Zulver/Al Jazeera]
By Kiran Stallone and Julia Zulver
Published On 21 Jun 202221 Jun 2022
Bogota, Colombia – Colombian women’s rights activist Carmen Garcia has high hopes for her newly elected president, Gustavo Petro.
“I have no words to explain how excited I am. For the first time, our country has made a change. For the first time, women are going to be heard. For the first time, we women who are victims of the armed conflict are going to stop suffering in this [war],” she told Al Jazeera.
Petro, a former M-19 rebel and the first left-wing candidate to win the presidency, made several promises to female voters during his campaign: to recognise unpaid domestic labour, protect them from violence, and enact rural and land reforms to give women better access to ownership. His running mate, Francia Marquez, a former activist and single mother will become the country’s first Afro-Colombian vice president when the two take office in August.
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Carmen García wept when she found out that Petro and Marquez had won the elections [Julia Zulver/Al Jazeera]
“In [Catatumbo], we as women are being victimised every day,” Garcia told Al Jazeera. Femicides, sexual violence, and threats against women by armed groups have increased since 2021, forcing many women to flee to other parts of the country, she said.
“Inaction by the Colombian state has put women in vulnerable positions,” she said.
Armed groups have also engaged in human trafficking, primarily targeting refugee women and girls from Venezuela, she said, echoing reports by the United Nations and other rights groups.To address these issues, Petro and Marquez have promised to uphold the country’s peace accord with the FARC and to talk with another rebel group, the National Liberation Army (ELN).
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/6/21/will-gustavo-petro-live-up-to-his-promises-to-colombias-women
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His platform seems amazing. Great article, Niyad. Thanks for sharing some possible good news with us. 
