On the 11th December, the Colombian Constitutional Court ruled that a woman who was forcibly recruited by the FARC at 14 years old is to be included in the Victims’ Registry (RUV). Helena (a pseudonym) was forced to use contraception and to undergo an abortion while she was in the ranks of the rebel group and continues to suffer physical and psychological problems. Her inclusion in the RUV means that she will have access to the public health system, and to the comprehensive reparations included in the 2011 Victims’ Law.
Her case was brought before the Court by Women’s Link Worldwide, a strategic litigation organization. In October, the same organisation brought a report including 35 similar stories before the JEP, Colombia’s Special Jurisdiction for Peace.
This month’s ruling goes beyond this individual case, however. In practice, it means that the Court recognises that the sexual and reproductive rights of women and girls inside the ranks of the FARC were systematically violated, and that this is a serious human rights violation. These women, even though they belonged to an armed rebel group, can now also be considered victims of the conflict.
