Gender Equality in Colombia
Access to Justice and Politics at the Local Level
This report assesses women’s access to justice and women’s political participation in parliament, local councils and civil society organisations in Colombia. It examines existing legal, political and institutional frameworks in order to better understand successes, challenges and implementation gaps in the government’s pursuit of access to justice and gender equality. The report also offers examples of different approaches in OECD member and partner countries to support Colombia in closing gender gaps. Based on this analysis, the report proposes actionable solutions to help Colombia design and deliver policies that effectively promote women’s political participation and access to justice, including for survivors of gender based violence.
Overview of gender equality in Colombia
This chapter presents a succinct overview of the status of gender equality in Colombia. It explores the policy and legal instruments as well as existing barriers and gaps in attaining gender equality. It briefly maps factors that affect women’s empowerment at the national and local levels, such as access to education and employment, violence against women, problems faced by the indigenous populations and the internal armed conflict in selected regions. Based on a multidimensional understanding of women’s empowerment, it proposes an empowerment continuum to enhance women’s access to justice and politics at the local level.