Colombia, law for women journalists launched at the Congress

teleSUR English

*“No es hora de callar” started in 2010 with a campaign by journalist Jineth Bedoya Lima *The day was dedicated to women journalists and especially to those exposed to violence *The law is a step forward in the protection of journalists in Colombia and Latin America

Transcript

00:00And in Colombia, No Es Hora De Callar, translated as It's Not Time To Be Silent, is a campaign

00:05that began in 2010 with the objective of making violence against women journalists visible

00:10and allowing the creation of law on the issues.

00:13Our colleague Valeria Cardona gives us the details.

00:17The launching of the fund No Es Hora De Callar, a law for women journalists, took place this

00:24Monday at the Colombian Congress of the Republic.

00:33This fund is a law that makes it possible to collect resources to finance policies for

00:38the prevention and protection of women journalists.

00:43But this fund is also linked to other mechanisms that are part of the reparation of this painful

00:48and distressing case that Gineth Bedoya suffered because she was assaulted, raped, violated

00:54and tortured 24 years ago while performing her work.

01:00The most painful thing is that the state did not protect her rights and she had to make

01:04a huge struggle to reach international instances.

01:13No Es Hora De Callar began in 2010 as a campaign by journalist Gineth Bedoya Lima.

01:20Her case had to reach the Inter-American Court of Rights so that protection and reparation

01:24measures could be taken in the country.

01:30The Inter-American Court accepted my request, and when the sentence was issued in October

01:352021, it said that an assistance fund had to be created, and I still saw it as a long

01:40way off, because to create a fund in Colombia, law is needed.

01:45So we had to draft a bill, we had to come to Congress to lobby for it, to lobby.

01:49I personally came to lobby with the Congress, with the Senate and I have to say that the

01:52full Congress voted unanimously.

01:55And today, September 9th, when it is not the time to be silent, we officially received

02:00the law that creates a unique fund in the hemisphere to help women journalists.

02:05With tears in her eyes but with a firm voice, Gineth Bedoya dedicated this day to women

02:13journalists and to all those who communicate with their voices, their hands and their being.

02:18She spoke specially to all women communicators who are in territory, where they are exposed

02:23to violence and left a strong message to encourage them that their voices should not be silenced.

02:37These proposals and these funds are a door and a window that opens up possibilities to

02:43continue doing our work of journalism, of communication, with a little more guarantees.

02:50It is really very complex to do journalism in the territories.

02:55The issues we normally have to talk about involve a risk and this can be an important

03:00support as long as it is implemented in a really effective way.

03:11This personal struggle that, step by step, became a collective struggle, which started

03:15as a sentence and today is a law of the Republic, according to members of the national government,

03:21a step forward in the protection of human rights for journalists, not only in Colombia

03:25but also in Latin America.

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