Conversation with Claudia Mejía Duque
Colombian Human Rights Defender
Thursday 30 April, 1-2pm
Christian Aid, 35 Lower Marsh, Waterloo, London, SE1 7RL
Claudia Mejía Duque is a Colombian lawyer specialising in women’s rights. She has contributed to the creation of women’s human rights networks in Colombia and is the director of feminist organisation, SISMA Mujer. She has played a fundamental role in the creation of the Observatorio de los Derechos Humanos de las Mujeres en Colombia (Observatory of Women’s Human Rights in Colombia), a platform in which women’s and human rights organisations converge to work towards the fulfilment of women’s rights.

 

Claudia Mejía Duque is a Colombian lawyer specialising in women’s rights. She has contributed to the creation of women’s human rights networks in Colombia and is the director of feminist organisation, SISMA Mujer. She has played a fundamental role in the creation of the Observatorio de los Derechos Humanos de las Mujeres en Colombia (Observatory of Women’s Human Rights in Colombia), a platform in which women’s and human rights organisations converge to work towards the fulfilment of women’s rights. In December 2014 Claudia was part of a group of experts who travelled to Havana to participate in the peace dialogues between the Colombian Government and the FARC.

SISMA Mujer has worked extensively on improving Colombian public policies on women. A major part of their work has been in relation to women victims of sexual violence, their access to justice and reparation. Some of their achievements include contributing to the creation of national legislation on violence against women that has improved the administration of justice in favour of the rights to truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-repetition in cases of women victims of sexual violence; the development of public policies for women in situations of forced displacement; and participation in legislative and constitutional reforms of the electoral system to create greater access for women.