As part of the UN Secretary-General’s campaign for 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence 2023, entitled “UNITE! Invest to prevent violence against women and girls”, UNODC is showcasing its activities around the world that help to accelerate efforts to end violence against women and girls.
Today, we hear from two trans women in rural Colombia who fought to ensure that their voices and experiences were heard at the national level.
"Historically, peacebuilding in the territory has been blind. The LGBTQ+ [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and others] community exists, and we are a big community.”
Deiri Alejandra, a trans woman, lives in Convencion, a small town in Colombia near the Venezuelan border, where she says violence and illicit drugs have made gender-diverse people invisible.
Her region of Catatumbo hosts one of the higher concentration of coca cops in Colombia, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s (UNODC) 2022 Annual Survey on Monitoring of Territories with Coca Crops in Colombia.
Another trans woman and activist, Danna Valentina, who comes from Caqueta in the Colombian Amazon (another area that cultivates coca), agrees that gender issues and drug problems are linked. “By eradicating drugs, we can overcome social problems that we [LGBTQ+ communities] are facing on a daily basis,” she states.
UNODC has also highlighted the need for international drug control efforts to be gender-responsive. In a brief on gender and drugs, UNODC says that “it is clear that the world drug problem is undermining gender equality, and that a gender perspective is needed in all efforts to prevent and respond to this issue.” For example, the brief notes that substance abuse is one of the main causes of gender-based violence.
Both Deiri and Danna believe that their experiences as trans women give them unique perspectives that should be incorporated into policies at the national level.
"Women should be heard, no matter their social sector or sexual identity, because we are all women,” Danna says.
She and Danna have taken on leadership roles in their communities, by gathering experiences and testimonies as to how drug trafficking and other crimes has led to historic inequalities.
“I believe that the formulation of policies must be made with everyone because that is the way to promote peace and security. If we are all in every scenario, we will build peace," Deiri shares.
Listening to communities, the women agree, is a way to contribute to the responsible development of policies to address Colombia’s drug problem.
"If change is going to be inclusive, it must be done with the community and for the community," Deiri adds.
The efforts of women like Deiri and Danna eventually paid off – in October, Colombia launched a new drug policy. Formulated with the involvement of hundreds of women, the government included an entire chapter of gender-based issues related to the drug problem.
UNODC worked with the Colombian Ministry of Justice and Law in this exercise as part of its efforts to promote fair, peaceful, and inclusive societies and to achieve comprehensive and sustainable solutions to end all forms of violence, regardless of colour, race, gender, or religious beliefs.
The global 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is a key international moment to call for an end to violence against women and girls. It runs from 25th November (the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women) until 10th December, Human Rights Day.
Comprehensive and multi-sectoral solutions are required to end all forms of gender-based violence against women and girls by 2030, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 5.2. Crime prevention and criminal justice responses are a key part of this approach. Learn more about UNODC’s work on gender-based violence here.
