Women, peace, ¿political participation? : the use of violence as a barrier for democracy in the post-agreement Colombian context

Abstract

Through documentary research and literature review, this paper provides an overview of women's political participation in the Colombian armed conflict. Although it does not seek to analyse the causes and origins of the armed conflict, it explores the role of women from victimisation to women as agents of change. This study attempts to compare two phases of political participation. The first part is before the signing of the peace agreement, it exposes the disproportionate violence during the armed conflict and the socio-political violence suffered by women leaders and human rights defenders. The second part examines the historical participation of women during the different peace dialogues and the process conducted with the FARC-EP. It is worth mentioning that Colombia is in a post-peace agreement phase, as the armed conflict with other armed actors has not ended. In this respect, the research demonstrates how women's political participation is necessary for a peaceful transition to democracy. Finally, it focuses on democratic openness concerning the Congress of the Republic elections.