Women Dismantling Militarism
Facts, Articles,
and Ideas from
the Global Fund's Militarism Initiative
Historically in Latin America and the Caribbean, women have been peacefully resisting to wars, armed conflict and sociopolitical instability. They have been organizers of collective action to challenge the militarism of the region, from U.S. military bases to armed guerrillas attempts to take control over indigenous territories and natural resources. Women’s movements have made great strides to address and give visibility to the impact of conflict and militarism.
Working for the Disappeared in Colombia
Mother-Power: Asociación Caminos de Esperanza Madres de la Candelaria, Colombia
Colombia
At a Global Fund grantee convening in Colombia, Teresita Gaveria, one of the leaders of “Las Madres” explained how she got involved with the organization: “My son Cristian, 15 years old, never came back. I have not received any proof of his being still alive, despite of all the efforts I have made to find him. I was so desperate to find him that I resigned from my job and began participating in demonstrations against forced disappearance and kidnapping.”
In December 2009, the Colombian Attorney General's Office announced that there were over 49,000 disappeared as a result of the ongoing armed conflict in the country.
Las Madres was founded by 100 mothers in Medellin in 1998 who wanted to create a supportive space for women to help each other cope with the crippling pain of having a family member disappear with no evidence as to what happened. Soon their activities grew into activism for truth, justice and reparation.
Las Madres pressures the state to engage in political negotiations with armed groups to release kidnapped civilians. The government has engaged in these talks for prominent kidnapped figures, like the presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt.
Madres de la Candelaria is part of a growing Victims’ Movements in Colombia, which has been searching for truth, justice, and the location of their relatives who have disappeared. As the government’s negotiations with paramilitary groups have advanced, more victims of paramilitary violence came together so that their voices would not be excluded at this historic moment. They feared that the truth about paramilitary violence could be buried forever. The Mothers have been at the center of political and social action to resist the consequences of the armed conflict in Colombia.
Through the Women Dismantling Militarism Initiative, Las Madres received a $15,000 grant, which it used to offer a leadership-training program to 22 members of the organization. It also paid for psychological counseling for families impacted by the armed conflict and offered workshops on Presidential Decree 1290, which provides for monetary compensation to families of the disappeared. Finally, it organized a workshop series entitled “Juntemos Nuestras Historias” (“We Bring Together Our Histories”), in which 25 women and men narrated their own stories of the armed conflict through drawings and writing. One of the participants in the leadership training, Nohemí Betancur, whose son was disappeared and killed by armed militias, said, “We need to leave our fears, we need to talk about our case, we cannot stay quiet, it is a torture to live in complete silence, there are people who can help us live a better future.”
