UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR TO INVESTIGATE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN COLOMBIA

31 October 2001




The United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women, Radhika Coomaraswamy, will arrive in Colombia on 1 November 2001 to investigate violence against women in the country's armed conflict.

"I am very concerned about the level of violence against women in Colombia, but the fact that I am here means the Government is taking this issue seriously and wants to work towards solutions," says Ms. Coomaraswamy. She will present her findings at a press conference on 7 November in Bogota.

Ms. Coomaraswamy begins her official mission in Bogota, and will also visit Cali and Cartagena. She will meet with Government officials, United Nations representatives, human rights groups and women who have directly experienced war-related violence.

Ms. Coomaraswamy is visiting Colombia at the invitation of the Government. She intends to establish facts, discuss the problem with authorities and recommend possible solutions.

Ms. Coomaraswamy, a lawyer and long-time women's rights advocate from Sri Lanka, has served as Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences since the United Nations Commission on Human Rights created the post in 1994.

For further information, please contact Anders Kompass +571 313 4041/+571 (0)33 238 0023.



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