“It is a great honor and challenge”: Jineth Bedoya was appointed by the UN ambassador for the fight against sexual violence

This Tuesday, April 12, the Security Council of the United Nations (UN) will be held, an event that will have its Colombian seal, given that not only will President Iván Duque attend, but also the journalist Jineth Bedoya Lima, who will be appointed as global ambassador in the fight against sexual violence in the context of the armed conflict.

The Bogotá journalist, who is also editor of the newspaper El Tiempo and heads the campaign in her country It is not time to be silent, will receive this designation at 12 noon on Tuesday, Colombian time.

Moreover, according to several media outlets in the country, Jineth Bedoya was notified by the same UN who would be decorated as ambassador. The news came from Pramila Patten, United Nations Special Representative for Sexual Violence in Conflict.

Although President Duque, Vice-President and Chancellor Marta Lucía Ramírez, and several other members of the government delegation will be on the UN council, some media said they would not accompany Bedoya in its recognition.

However, through her Twitter account, the Minister of Foreign Affairs celebrated the title that the Bogota will receive and announced that the Colombian Foreign Ministry will accompany the compatriot.

For now, President Ivan Duque has not addressed the issue. However, Jineth Bedoya was recently questioned by W Radio, where she was excited about her recognition and said she will continue to work for victims of sexual violence.

“This is another challenge and it is a major challenge. It is one thing to go out and talk about sexual violence in Colombia and another to talk about victims and survivors of sexual violence worldwide. This honour that the United Nations gives me, which I really didn't expect it and there comes a time when I need a lot of strength, has several commitments: to continue to strengthen the voice of the victims and continue to denounce the horrors that are being committed in the midst of the wars against women,” said the writer and activist.

Jineth also stated in that interview that she had been working for a long time with victims of sexual assault in other countries around the world. For example, some of the people you've managed to link with are in Rwanda and Europe.

On the other hand, Bedoya also referred to the alleged reluctance of the Duque government to accompany her on her degree and said that “they do not have in their head the dimension of what is going to happen at the United Nations”. However, he recalled his case of sexual violence and expressed an emotional message. “It has been so much revictimization, so much forgetfulness, so much pettiness and impunity that today I want to hold on to what is good, what this means and not focus on that indifference that exists, not only with me, but with the victims who have faced sexual violence,” the journalist told W Radio's microphones.

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