Blanca Azucena Caicedo, ARCWP Presbytera - Priest in Colombia Led Reflection for the Elimination of Violence Against Women- "Releasing Chains of Violence Against Women"

Blanca Azucena Caicedo, ARCWP Presbytera

Blanca Azucena Caicedo ARCWP ( with microphone- leading Prayer Service) 

 

 

 I share with you the message that I gave at the vigil within the framework of 25N, international day for the elimination of violence against women, making visible the religious violence against women that has been carried out systematically for centuries.

On one occasion a child wanted to test the wisdom of a wise man, asking:

“If you are so wise, tell me, is what I have behind me in my hand alive or dead?”

Well... that boy had a bird in his hands and thought: if the wise man says that it is alive, I squeeze my hand and grab it, but, if the wise man says that it is dead, I let it fly.

So the wise man looked at the face of that child and sighed to respond:

“THE LIFE OF WHAT YOU HAVE IN YOUR HAND, ONLY DEPENDS ON YOU. LIFE, FREEDOM, RESPECT, GRATITUDE... ONLY DEPENDS ON YOU."

 

It is up to you to BE HAPPY and seek help,

It is up to you to BE FREE and stay away from those who want to tie up your dreams,

It's up to you to SPEAK and report in time...

 

It depends on you,

It is recognizing that the life of that other person is also in our hands, and there is the wisdom to make decisions at the right time.

 

Today we are here... to tell you:WOMAN

You are the tenderness of someone who caresses other people's wounds,

You are the sweet fragrance of those who sense the need of others,

You are that bouquet of roses that is delivered without conditions...

 

Because if you look in the mirror you will find a gift of love,

You are the mischievous smile when it flirts with life, with time,

You are the melodious word to the ears of your loved ones...

Because you can't lose the gift of being in the here and now,

because you can't let the dreams that you build to get ahead fly away,

because you can't expect things to change if you leave everything for later...

 

Because first you must recognize yourself as a treasure, as a diamond, which is only acquired to the extent that you decide to give it.

Today say, Lord, here I am like the woman of the Gospel who says: “Behold the servant of the Lord, but not the servant who kneels to humiliate herself but the one who knows what is best, who respects the steps of others, who knows how to walk.” in the midst of obstacles... “They don't have wine”, he senses the needs of others, he anticipates events, he feels pain for which he cries and anguishes and above all he has a solution to other people's problems, he knows how to respond , how to act at the right moment, knows that you are hungry, that you need shoes, that you do not understand the task, that you fight with true and wise arguments... “they don't have wine” and you need your distance to be respected and you need to be heard or heard.

 

Here we are, Lord, with the firm position of standing, even though we have had to fight for the position that rightfully belongs to us...

 

–                                     fight against social discrimination, where jobs are exclusive, believing that decent work is one that does not need preparation, because according to the imagination of sexist society, men are more capable than women and therefore earn more, and In response to this, only laws are created and nothing happens.

 

–                                     fight against sexual violence, because dignity has been reified, and even selling a pencil requires her to bare her body, and they are hired depending on their figure and body for the sole fact of selling products, women who are raped, groped, touched without not knowing that on many occasions the main executioners are in their homes, and sometimes we see those in the park who undress our girls with vulgar looks and words... and nothing happens.

 

- fight against verbal, emotional, psychological violence, where grotesque words seem to be the daily bread in many families, in thousands of relationships that nullify dignity and degrade the condition of being a woman, and in the face of it, nothing happens. ..

-fight against religious violence, because in the midst of a sexist society it is believed that men have the divine word, they have the power to discern even the Gospel and we return to the time of the Inquisition where the systematic persecution and punishment of the so-called heretics and religious dissidents, believing that its only purpose is to purify and sanctify a single creed and word interpreted by men, and in the face of this, nothing happens.

 

- fight against intellectual violence, where only men believe they have a greater capacity to acquire knowledge and many women end up studying other careers because according to their IQ, it does not matter, and nothing happens.

 

- fight against workplace violence, just look at the positions in our competent entities, men are entrusted with positions of power and women with positions of service, and nothing happens.

 

- fight against the violence of “NO”… you cannot, you should not, you are not capable, it is not enough,

 

- fight against gender violence... where some believe they limit the freedom of their sexual condition, for the simple fact of having a different orientation to traditions, because to wear someone else's shoe you have to feel the skin of the person It demands and demands respect from those who raise their voices even if they go against the supposed hypocritical principles of those who believe themselves to be pure from their convictions, and in the face of this, nothing happens.

Unfortunately, in the OSPS publication, it is highlighted that the population groups most vulnerable to domestic violence are women and minors, with the home being the main place where the events occur, and men being the main perpetrators. Likewise, it was evident that in Santander there are 4,554 cases of violence against women, domestic and sexual, distributed as follows: physical violence (1,473); psychological violence (170); deprivation and neglect (2,265); sexual violence (645).

 

In addition to these results, it stands out that the maximum level of education of 80% of the aggressors is primary and/or secondary, with men being the main aggressors in cases of physical violence (72.3%), psychological violence (74, 7%) and sexual abuse (97.3%); while women were mainly responsible in cases of deprivation and neglect (80%).

Likewise, in Santander for every male victim there are two women attacked, and 33.0% of the cases occur in children under 6 years of age.

Alarming figures, even more so knowing that Santander occupies 2nd place in domestic violence and the first places in sexual violence in children and adolescents --- and Lebrija, where are we?...

The cases that are reported are not always resolved cases, and there is no guarantee of being protected by the State. We see years-old cases that remained on paper and the route was activated... and they end up archived as paper stories. , but still, many girls continue to live with the executioner, in the same places where for years and years they have suffered violence and the abuser continues to walk through our streets with the freedom of not having been touched.

It is time for us to wake up, to know that we are not alone, that the State must guarantee our rights, that we are the voice of those who have remained silent, that our flag joins the flag of all those who follow seeking justice and truth.