Violence against women exists in a continuum. Explicit acts of aggression are the tip of an iceberg of deeply embedded patriarchal norms, beliefs and actions that too often lead to violence. For this reason, understanding gender-based violence (GBV) requires that we address multiple, interlinked issues.
What ideologies drive violence against women? How do peacetime inequalities inform GBV during armed conflict, and vice versa? How do we work together to cope with violent pasts?
These are questions which WILPF Colombia (also known as LIMPAL Colombia) has worked to address through a nuanced understanding of feminist peace. The group’s work has encouraged hundreds of women and men to consider the roots of violence and to be able to imagine a future beyond its frameworks.