Stepping up to the lectern at the front of the Colombian Senate last month, Juliana Domicó pulled the mic closer to be heard over a boisterous chamber. The renowned Emberá leader was in jubilant mood having just witnessed history: Colombia had become the first country in the Americas to pass a law aimed at eradicating female genital mutilation (FGM).
“This is not a cultural practice, ladies and gentlemen. It is a harmful practice that was imposed on our reservations and our communities,” declared Domicó, a senior representative of the Confederation of the Emberá Nation of Colombia (CONNPEC).
The June 10 vote came just ten days before the legislation was due to be shelved and marked a major milestone in a years-long campaign led by Indigenous women, several of whom were in the Senate chamber to witness the fourth and final vote needed to pass it into law.
