Latin America and the Caribbean

COLOMBIA GUATEMALA HONDURAS MEXICO EL SALVADOR

MEXICO

EL SALVADOR

PACIFIC OCEAN

GUATEMALA

HONDURAS

COLOMBIA

ATLANTIC OCEAN

MEXICO COLOMBIA

GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

The State of Colima on Mexico’s Pacific coast has the highest rate of femicide and the highest number of teenage pregnancies in the country. The restrictions on movement and reduced access to basic services during the COVID-19 pandemic have further aggravated these difficulties.

In order to respond to this situation, Médecins du Monde, already present in the State of Chiapas in the south of the country, has been developing a project since 2020 to improve the prevention of and response to gender-based violence – with girls and women, as well as members of the LGBT community. The organisation is working closely with organisations from civil society and public institutions in Mexico, including local branches of the Ministries of Health and Justice. In addition to providing medical treatment and support to survivors finding it hard to access sexual and reproductive healthcare services, Médecins du Monde has drawn up a reference document for the complete care pathway specific to gender-based violence.

In 2020, 288 people completed training on gender-based violence and its legal framework in Mexico, sexual and reproductive health (SRH) or COVID-19. Medicines used to treat survivors of sexual violence were supplied to hospitals and spaces set up within the Centro de Atención para la Mujer and the Centro de Justicia para las Mujeres, an institution attached to the Ministry of Justice, to provide medical SRH treatment.

Since October 2020, Médecins du Monde has also been part of the multi-party working group on the prevention of teenage pregnancies, led by the government of the State of Colima. In this context, the organisation has drawn up and circulated a practical guide to SRH rights and existing services. MULTI-CRISIS CONTEXT

Despite the 2016 peace agreements, Colombia is currently experiencing a sharp rise in violence attributed to various armed groups. In 2020, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights recorded 66 massacres during which 255 people were killed. 120 leaders and human rights defenders have been assassinated and tens of thousands of people deprived of their freedom of movement or forced to flee to other regions. Women, who are particularly at risk, are the target of armed groups or cartels that use violence as a weapon of domination. In addition, isolated rural areas are suffering from a lack of health infrastructure and the demand for humanitarian aid remains high. Alongside other NGOs, Médecins du Monde has set up the MIRE (inter-sectoral emergency response mechanism) aid consortium. Throughout Colombia, when a community is threatened, it deploys mobile teams to offer a full package of aid including healthcare, shelter, nutrition, sanitation and education. MIRE responded to 73 emergencies in one year. To guarantee comprehensive assistance and the protection of victims of sexual violence, the organisation is supporting different healthcare establishments and organising awareness-raising workshops.

Colombian territory is also currently home to 1.9 million Venezuelan migrants. Only 20% of them have access to healthcare services and social protection. Frequently exploited, weakened by exile, they are also the victims of discrimination. Médecins du Monde is providing medical care and offering psychosocial support on the various stages of their migration journey, from Bogotá to the border with Ecuador.

While 2020 was marked by the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with emergency projects in the Amazon region in particular, Médecins du Monde has continued its advocacy work. The organisation has been supporting the Causa Justa movement, composed of 80 feminist organisations, in their constitutional appeal to obtain the total decriminalisation of abortion in Colombia.