“These women are doing extraordinary work in the most challenging of contexts,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres. “Each day they seek to heal the wounds of the women and children of Buenaventura and in doing so put their own lives at risk. Their bravery goes beyond words.”

Colombia has more internally displaced people (5.7 million) than any other country aside from Syria. Nowhere in the country is the devastation of the 50-year armed conflict felt as acutely as in Buenaventura. This industrial port city has some of the highest rates of violence and displacement due to rivalries between illegal armed groups, and women are often their targets. The groups violate women and children to demonstrate their power and frequently torture, rape or kill to exact revenge.

“The situation in Buenaventura illustrates the devastating impact of conflict on families and how essential the work of Butterflies is,” Guterres said. “In their battle to gain territory, illegal armed groups in Buenaventura aim to destroy the social fabric of communities. They violate the most vulnerable by sexual assault, kidnap and murder. Butterflies’ volunteers take the displaced and abused under their wing and help them to reclaim their lives and assert their rights,” he added.

Drawing on modest resources, the women go about their work on foot, bus or bicycle. They move cautiously through the most dangerous neighbourhoods to help women access medical care and report crimes. This work, deep inside the communities, helps them reach the most vulnerable women, but also brings with it danger and threats from the illegal armed groups.

Women in the poorest areas of Buenaventura are often afraid to report sexual violence and the few who do so remain unprotected because they often live alongside their aggressors. Building trust is a slow and challenging process. Butterflies operates on the principal of “comadreo,” which has special significance in Afro-Colombian culture, uniting respect, trust solidarity and confidentiality.

The cornerstone of the assistance Butterflies provides is the life skills training and workshops on women’s rights that they organize. Here women come together and, realizing they are not alone in their suffering, slowly regain their self-esteem and strength. (…)

The Nansen Refugee Award will be presented to Butterflies at a ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland on September 29. The group will be represented by three women; Gloria Amparo, Maritza Asprilla Cruz and Mery Medina.(…)

Source: www.unhcr.org