SURVEY ON THE PREVALENCE

OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE

AGAINST WOMEN IN THE CONTEXT OF THE

COLOMBIAN ARMED

CONFLICT (2010-2015)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Encuesta de prevalencia de violencia sexual en contra de las mujeres en el contexto del conflicto armado colombiano 2010-2015

Survey on the prevalence of sexual violence against women in the context of the Colombian armed conflict 2010-2015

Research team: Olga Amparo Sánchez Gómez, Abelardo Carrillo Urrego,José Giovany Babativa Márquez, María del Pilar Rengifo, Liliana Silva Miguez

Edition of the executive summary:Diego Cancino

Campaign - Rape and other violence: leave my body out of the warAsociación Mujeres y Madres Abriendo Caminos - AMMACAsociación Red de Mujeres Víctimas y ProfesionalesAsociación Santa Rita para la Educación y Promoción- FUNSAREP Centro de Promoción

y Cultura - CPCCentro Regional de Derechos Humanos y Justicia de Género -Humanas ColombiaColectivo de Abogados José Alvear RestrepoCoalición Contra la Vinculación de Niños, Niñas y Jóvenes al Conflicto Armado en

Colombia-COALICOCorporación Casa de la MujerCorporación Mujer Sigue Mis PasosCorporación Vamos MujerHumanidad Vigente Corporación JurídicaOxfamRuta Pacífica de las Mujeres

Design and graphics:Identidad Desarrollo Publicitario SAS

Cover photo: Archivo Red de Mujeres Víctimas y Profesionales / Photographer Juan Carlos Barbero

This publication has been made possible with support from the Ministry of Foreign Relations of the Netherlands in the framework of the project “Strengthening the movement to eliminate the forms of violence against women in Colombia, Mexico and Cuba”.

Bogotá, Colombia, August 2017 All Rights Reserved

ISBN: 978-958-59077-3-7

3

A

4

Source: Prepared by the authors based on the ENVISE 2010 – 2015 survey.

Strata 1

Strata 2

Strata 3

Strata 4

Large cities

Medium-large cities

Medium-sized municipalities

Small municipalities

More than 400,000 residents

From 160,000 to 400,000 residents

From 35,000 to 160,000 residents

Less than 35,000 residents

5

9

21

107

Category Inclusion criteria (women) # of municipalities

TABLE 1: Municipalities with presence of armed groups, according to sampling strata

TABLE 2:

Source: Prepared by the authors based on the ENVISE 2010 – 2015 survey

Magdalena

Quindío

Meta

Norte de Santander

Sucre

La Guajira

Nariño

Caquetá

Norte de Santander

Valle del Cauca

Cundinamarca

Antioquia

Valle del Cauca

Atlántico

Bolívar

Plato

La Tebaida

Puerto López

Tibú

Sincelejo

Riohacha

San Andrés de Tumaco

Florencia

Cúcuta

Buenaventura

Bogotá

Medellín

Cali

Barranquilla

Cartagena de Indias

4

4

4

4

3

3

3

3

2

2

1

1

1

1

1

78

68

65

61

105

103

89

83

158

142

246

229

223

159

145

Department Municipality Strata in the sample

Sample size

Municipalities included in the sample

5

TABLE 3

Social and economic characteristics of the women surveyed

Based on the sampling methodology used, the survey results are representative for women between 15 and 44 years of age who live in urban centers of 142 municipalities where armed confrontations occurred, distributed across 29 departments.

Age of women surveyed 15-24 25-34 35-44

% of total sample 23% 29% 48%

Socio-economic housing classification of 1 – very low 2 - low 3 – lowerwomen surveyed (for public services rates) medium

% of total sample 40% 42.2% 17%

Ethnic identity of Mixed Race Indigenous Afro- White No ethnic women surveyed Colombian group identity

% of total sample 36% 5% 17% 19% 21%

Civil status of Single Married Civil union Separated Widowedwomen surveyed or divorced

% of total sample 40% 17.7% 35.5% 3.3% 3.4%

Educational Primary school High school, High school, Technical Universityattainment studies studies

% of total 18.80% 24.05% 30.64% 14.21% 11.3% sample

Work life of Domestic Self-employed Employed in Employed in women surveyed care worker private sector public sector

% of total sample 50% 27.7% 10.4% 6.3%

of women (some or all) incomplete complete (some or all) (some or all)

4-medium

1% 0%

Noinformation

Other

1.35% 0.04%

Noinformation

other studies

0.79% 0.21%

Noinformation

0.1%

Noinformation

6

Socio-demographic characteristics of women victimsof sexual violence

Figure 1: Prevalence of sexual violence against women according to ethnicity

Source: Prepared by the authors based on the ENVISE 2010 – 2015 survey.

Afro

Mestiza

None

Other

White

Indigenous

8.2%

7.2%

5.1%

2.0%0.0% 4.0% 6.0% 8.0% 10.0% 12.0% 14.0%

9.2%

9.7%

11.7%

Figure 2: Prevalence of sexual violence against women according to age group

Source: Prepared by the authors based on the ENVISE 2010 – 2015 survey

15 to 24

35 to 44

25 to 34

11.1%

10.0%

8.6%

0.0% 2.0% 4.0% 6.0% 8.0% 10.0% 12.0%

7

Afro-descendant women from the ages of 15-24 residing in housing classified as the lowest income bracket are more exposed to being victims of sexual violence than women from other ethnic origins, age ranges and housing brackets.

TABLE 4

Prevalence of sexual violence against women according tosocio-economic housing classification

Prevalence of sexual violence according to populationconcentration

Very Low Low Lower - Medium

10.5% 9.5% 6.8%

Figure 3: Prevalence of sexual violence in the 15 municipalities included in the sample (2010-2015)

Source: Prepared by the authors based on the ENVISE 2010 – 2015 survey.

Medellín

Buenaventura

Bogotá

Cali

Riohacha

Cúcuta

Sincelejo

Santander de Quilichao

Plato

Puerto López

Arauca

La Tebaida

Barranquilla

Cartagena

35.4 %

30.6 %

30.2 %

16.2 %

15.4 %

12.2 %

11.9 %

11.9 %

11.7 %

11.1 %

11.0 %

9.1 %

8.0 %

3.5 %

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The results of the survey suggest a relationship between the use of weapons and sexual violence against women. More than one of every five women victims reported being intimidated by the aggressor using a weapon. Of these, over half were threatened with a firearm and more than a third with a knife.

Sexual violence was more prevalent in larger cities. As the population size of the municipality increases, so does the prevalence of women victims of sexual violence. The percentage of victims was found to be significantly higher for the five larger cities of more than 400,000 residents (21.7 percent) and medium-large cities of 160,000-400,000 (21.5 percent), compared with mid-size municipalities of 35,000-160,000 (12.5 percent) and small municipalities of under 35,000 residents (8.5 percent).

Use of weapons by perpetrators of sexual violenceagainst women

Figure 4: Prevalence of sexual violence in the sample municipalities grouped by size.

Small cities5 large cities Medium-sized cities

Medium-large cities

Source: Prepared by the authors based on the ENVISE 2010 – 2015 Survey

25.00%

20.00%

15.00%

10.00%

5.00%

0.00%

21.7% 21.5%

12.5%

8.9%

Figure 5: Type of weapon used by the aggressor.

Source: Prepared by the authors based on ENVISE 2010 – 2015.

Used a weapon

Firearm

Knife

Blunt weapon 9%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

36%

51%

22.8%

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The survey found that one of every six women was a victim of rape. Women from the ages of 25-34 were most affected by rape, forced prostitution and forced abortion, while those in the youngest age group (15-24) were most affected by sexual harassment, forced pregnancy and social control. The proportion of women who were victims of social control and sexual harassment was highest overall.

In municipalities where armed confrontations occurred during Colombia’s armed conflict, the survey revealed the extent to which armed actors were engaged in sexual violence against women. Among armed actors who committed acts of sexual violence, those identified by women victims as belonging to illegal armed groups were reported as responsible for the majority of incidents, with the exception of rape.

Forms of sexual violence against women

Perpetrators of sexual violence against women

Figure 6: Women victims according to type of sexual violence

Source: Prepared by the authors based on the ENVISE 2010 – 2015 Survey.

Social control

Sexual harassment

Rape and sexual assault

Forced domestic services

Forced Abortion

Forced Prostitution

Forced pregnancy

Other

Forced sterilization

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

64.2%

45.2%

16.8%

13.9%

6.5%

3.9%

2.7%

2.9%

1.6%

35.8%

54.8%

83.2%

86.1%

93.5%

96.1%

97.3%

98.0%

98.4%

HAS NOT been a victimHAS BEEN a victim

10

Although family members were reported to be the main perpetrator of most forms of sexual violence against women (except for sexual harassment and forced sterilization), this finding should not be interpreted to mean the armed conflict has not had an impact on the evident prevalence of sexual violence against women in Colombia. Rather, it suggests that the presence of armed actors and the context of armed conflict increases and shapes the risk of sexual violence against women, even when armed groups may not be the principal perpetrators of that violence.

Colombia’s Constitutional Court has referred to sexual violence against women as an integral aspect of structural, gender-based discrimination and violence. Sexual violence against women is seen to be more prevalent where gender-based discrimination is entrenched and violence is generalized.

Some survey results according to form of sexual violence

Figure 7: Prevalence of types of sexual violence against women by actors in the armed conflict

Source: Prepared by the authors based on ENVISE 2010–2015

Forced prostitution

Sexual harassment

Forced domestic services

Rape and sexual assault

Social control

Forced pregnancy

Forced abortion

Forced sterilization

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%

17%

16%

14%

10%

8%

6%

4%

6%

7%

1%

15%

2%

19%

4%

Military and police forces Other criminal actorIllegal armed actor

11

12

Survey results indicated that war has an impact on sexual violence against women both in the public and private domains. Women feel more vulnerable with the presence of armed groups independently of whether they have been victims.

Militarization and sexual violence against women

Figure 8: Militarization and sexual violence I

Source: Prepared by the authors based on the ENVISE 2010 – 2015 Survey.

Rape and sexual assault

Sexual Harassment

Social control

75% 80% 85% 90% 95% 100%

96%

90%

84%

4%

10%

16%

HAS BEEN a victimHAS NOT been a victim

Women who believe the presence of armed actors has increased sexual violence in the private domain

13

Regardless of whether they have been a victim of sexual violence – specifically, rape, sexual harassment and social control – a large proportion of women believe that the presence of armed groups exacerbates their perceived risk of being a victim of sexual violence in both the public and private domain.

Only 20 percent of women victims of sexual violence said they had reported the incidents to authorities, while 78 percent said they did not report what happened (2 percent did not respond to the question). In other words, 682,840 women victims did not report the sexual violence they suffered, while 175,087 did report the incidents. According to the women who did not report, the most common reasons were fear of reprisal (24 percent), lack of interest (23.3 percent), lack of trust in the judicial system (12.2 percent), not wanting the family to find out (9 percent), and not knowing how (6 percent).

Reports to authorities on sexual violence against women

Figure 9: Militarization and sexual violence II

Source: Prepared by the authors based on ENVISE 2010–2015.

Rape and sexual assault

Sexual harassment

Social control

100%10%0% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

96%

90%

67%

4%

10%

34%

Believe that armed actors increase the prevalence of sexual violence in the private domain.

Do not believe that armed actors increase the prevalence of sexual violence in the private domain.

Women who have not been victims of rape, sexual harassment or social control

14

Conclusion and Recommendations

Source: Prepared by the authors based on the ENVISE 2010-2015 survey.Results valid for drawing conclusions regarding the 142 municipalities included in the sampling framework.

Fiscalía General de la Nación (Office of the Attorney General)

Defensor del Pueblo (Office of the Ombudsman)

Inspección de Policía (local neighborhood police office)

Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar (Colombian Family Welfare Institute)

Comisaría de Familia (local center to attend domestic violence cases)

Personeros municipales (Office of the Municipal Ombudsperson)

No information

Total number of victims

51.06%

5.37%

14.92%

1.26%

18.57%

0.74%

8.08%

175,087

Reported being a victim

Table 5: Institutions where victims reported the crime.

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