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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Harriet Barber in Cúcuta

Amid rising violence in Colombia, girls and women are being held as sex slaves: ‘No woman is safe’

Two young women walk by square colorful posters.
Posters of the National Liberation Army (ELN) rebels in Teorama, Catatumbo, Norte de Santander, Colombia, on 23 January 2025. Photograph: Raúl Arboleda/AFP/Getty Images

The rebels would come to the brothel every day, armed and masked. They would order the women to line up on their hands and knees, put their guns in their mouths, and rape them.

“It was ugly. A place filled with women and underage girls – all of us tricked and trapped,” recalled Valeria, 21, whose name has been changed to protect her identity. “The guerrillas came like they were there to kill.”

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