They report sexual abuse of a nursing assistant in the medical center of La Macarena (Meta)

Through a triune by doctor Katherine Martínez, who is in her eighth month of compulsory social service at the Care Center (CA) in La Macarena, it became known that a nursing assistant was allegedly sexually abused, Martínez reported that the regrettable crime occurred as a result of the lack of vigilance that has the place.

According to doctor Katherine Martínez, yesterday Saturday, March 19, an armed subject who identified himself as a guerrilla man entered the emergency service demanding medication for a commander who would be ill. After this he took the nursing assistant, later sexually abusing her.

The lack of surveillance was a factor that allowed the crime, the doctor Martínez mentioned the little or no surveillance they have: “We do not have a surveillance and security system, the access doors to the care center are not safe, the plate is not functional. We have repeatedly requested to hire a surveillance system without getting a response,” he said in the trill.

The doctor Martínez commented that on the same day at night her shift was with possible visits from the police, but without any permanent accompaniment, a fact that is worrying since 70 percent of the staff in the Care Center are women.

“As health personnel, we ask ESE Meta to maintain the access doors and hire a surveillance system, or failing that support from the authorities during night shifts,” the doctor Katherine Martínez requested in her triune.

Neither the departmental nor national authorities have spoken about it, so the news remains unfolding. But one regrettable and chilling fact that this news shows is the violence to which women are subjected in this country.

In the midst of the commemoration of International Women's Day, the authorities, in addition to highlighting the importance of this date, have warned of the need to curb aggressions against women in the country. The Office of the Ombudsman warned that, in 2021 alone, it dealt with 3,646 cases of gender-based violence, leaving an average of 10 such events per day.

“We call on the community on the importance of respecting women and girls in all settings, protecting their rights and ensuring that they can reach their full potential; with special emphasis on the search for mechanisms to end all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls”, said the ombudsman, Carlos Camargo.

However, the figures so far this year are not encouraging. According to a recent report by the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, which was known to RCN Mundo, 6,280 women were assaulted in January, resulting in a 29.6% increase over the same period in 2021 (1,438 cases).

A trend that was marked last year, taking up the statements of the defender, Carlos Camargo, is that the lack of opportunities has an impact on violent acts. For example, in 40 per cent of cases treated, women were engaged in informal activities, 20 per cent were engaged in household work and 10 per cent of them were unemployed. “Poverty, inequities in education and at work generate greater vulnerability of girls and women to gender-based violence,” she said.

KEEP READING