"But the armed conflict that we lived through generated more violence because women are the spoils of war for armed groups in Colombia. They would carry off women to sexually abuse them, or turn them into slaves.
“Another fundamental issue for Colombia’s feminist movement is that of sexual and reproductive rights. Despite the advances we’ve made, there are some people in government who want to roll back all that progress. Right now abortion is allowed in three circumstances: for sexual abuse, malformation of the baby, or risk to a mother’s life. But there are political figures on the far right who, along with Catholics, want to reverse that right.
“So we always have to be defending our advances because the government —and we’ve had a lot of right-wing governments— and church could roll them back at any moment.
“Being a feminist is fundamental to me. As women we have always had a history of discrimination. Once you realize that, it changes everything – it changes your entire relationship with the world. When you aren’t aware of that reality, you start to normalize violence, mistreatment, and discrimination. But when you remove that you can do a lot; you can transform your reality to a certain degree. It’s difficult, but you can transform your space and also reach out to other women around you.
“The feminist movement has different focuses in different parts of the world, and it has progressed at different rates in different countires. But the struggle is the same: to defend the rights of women and fight against discrimination and violence.”
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