Sophie Duchess of Edinburgh, at the Center for Memory, Peace and Reconciliation in Bogata, Colombia, views soil from conflicts around the region.Photo:Tim Rooke/Shutterstock
Tim Rooke/Shutterstock
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburghis taking her mission to help women who have been victims of gender-based violence during conflict to Colombia.
The royal mom-of-two is on a three-day tour to the Central American country and spent much of Wednesday highlighting the plight of women who have been victims of abuse during wars and conflict. She has also met with survivors of the decades-long conflict which ended in 2016 with a peace agreement.
Sophie, 59, held a meeting with peacebuilders and survivors of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) to hear their testimonies, experiences and roles in peace processes. It comes ahead of the country chairing the International Alliance on PSVI in 2024. The 52-year conflict in Colombia, which ended after four years of talks, has had a disproportionate effect on women and girls, with many of them survivors of CRSV.
It follows Sophie’s trip to Ethiopia in October, where she alsohighlighted the plight of womencaught up in conflict.
The Duchess of Edinburgh began the day hearing about what the palace calls the “progress and challenges” of the peace agreement that ended the conflict between Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) combatants and the government.
Visiting the Trópicos Fruits of Hope Coffee Farm (Trópicos Frutos de Esperanza), Sophie was shown how the farm helps more than 130 ex-combatants re-enter the mainstream economy. She was also told about the role of women as builders of peace.
She saw the farm’s seed and also visited the Centre for Research on Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) Seed Bank. She is the Honorary President of LEAF, which supports sustainable food production.
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Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh comforts a woman in Bogata, Colombia.Tim Rooke/Shutterstock
Sophie was also shown how the center works to promote food security through climate adaptation and champions the crucial role women play in science. She also visited Humboldt Institute’s molecular analysis laboratory, to see how U.K. DNA sequencing technology is being used to help track products shipped in the illegal wildlife trade.
On her first day, in the capital of Bogotá, Sophie met the Vice President of Colombia, Francia Márquez, who is the first Afro-Colombian Vice President, as well as Minister of Equality and Equity and a celebrated environmental activist.
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh taking part in the discussion about the impacts of the conflict, on Tuesday.Tim Rooke/Shutterstock
In Ethiopia last month, Sophie worked alongside a team from UNICEF to see the far-reaching impact of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) and gender-based violence. “The Duchess has championed the Prevention of Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI), and survivors of CRSV, for a number of years, and has travelled widely to bear witness to their testimonies,” Buckingham Palace said in a press release.
The Duchess of Edinburgh’s visit to Colombia comes one year after the Prevention of Sexual Violence in Conflict International Conference in London.
source: people.com
