Bogota/Geneva – 1 October 2026 – For survivors of sexual violence in Colombia, the work carried out by the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) is a historic and perhaps unrepeatable opportunity to obtain truth, justice and reparation. As budget cuts are discussed, the Global Survivors Fund (GSF) calls on the Colombian state to ensure that the JEP can fulfil its mandate – including taking the necessary steps to implement reparations and restorative projects for victims.
We are calling on Congress to ensure that victims and their organisations take part in any budgetary or legislative decision on the JEP that could affect their rights. We are urging all political and institutional actors to preserve the system established by the Constitution and the law, and to uphold international commitments to victims’ rights. It is key that the international community continues to stand alongside Colombian victims.
“The victims, who have already endured the burden of war, cannot continue to bear the cost of impunity and the lack of political will to combat it”, said Diana Bravo, GSF’s representative in Colombia. “The fight against impunity must continue, especially since the Constitution and various laws recognise and protect the victims’ rights to truth, justice, reparation, remembrance and guarantees of non-repetition.”
After decades of armed conflict, most cases of sexual and reproductive violence have still not been investigated or punished. Fear, stigma, a lack of protection and barriers to justice have prevented many survivors from reporting these crimes. This impunity reinforces silence and makes it harder to hold perpetrators accountable. Yet survivors have kept organising, documenting their cases and demanding truth, justice and reparation, often with little institutional support and at great personal cost.
The JEP has already shown that sexual violence was a systematic practice in the armed conflict. Different actors used it to control territories and communities and exert power within their own ranks. The JEP’s investigations in macro-cases 01, 02, 04, 05, 07 and 09 have moved forward to usher in charges and recognition of responsibility of those most responsible within the FARC for the use of sexual violence against people held in captivity and in the recruitment of children and adolescents. What victims reported for years is now established: these crimes were not isolated excesses, but part of how armed structures operated. However, reparation and the implementation of restorative measures are still missing. This is the task of the Colombian government.
Case 11 deals specifically with gender-based, sexual and reproductive violence and with prejudice-based crimes against LGBTQIA+ people. It still has a long way to go. The JEP’s work on this case cannot stop halfway.
The challenge now is to bring these proceedings to a close. This requires three guarantees: the effective participation of victims, legal certainty for those appearing before the JEP, and full implementation of the sanctions provided for by law. Only then can judicial progress lead to truth, justice, and reparation for survivors.
For over twenty years, Colombia has gradually developed a model of transitional justice which is now a global reference point. Ensuring the continuity of this model requires strong institutions, but also concrete results for victims and survivors. Changing this design before its mandate is complete would affect not only those appearing before the JEP but, above all, the victims who have placed their trust in it.