Seeking visibility: experiences and needs of female ex-combatants of the FARC-EP on the stage of peacebuilding

Abstract

The insurgency has been characterized by spreading discourses of equality between men and women, linking to its ranks the participation of women as combatants. Taking into account the broad role of women in war, this research asks about the experiences, learning and challenges of women ex-combatants of the FARC-EP guerrilla, the previous, because of the reintegration to civility that They have undertaken these women derived from the signing of the Acuerdo Final para la terminación del conflicto y la construcción de una paz estable y duradera. For the above, it inquires about aspects such as health, work, security and others in the ARN registers and, in addition, a semi-structured in-depth interview is conducted with five ex-combatant women of the FARC-EP, residents of the Territorial Space of Training and Reintegration of Icononzo Tolima and in the city of Bogotá. Finding that the social context of parenting characterized by state abandonment and the constant presence of the guerrillas, facilitated their entry into the organization; also, there is the resignification of the role of women, becoming a political subject and incident in social change. Likewise, it inquires about motherhood and upbringing, finding women determined with social change in favor of their new families and committed to the fight from the political scene. Finally, the identified challenges include security and fears with the termination of the agreed agreements, which are obstacles to the effective social reintegration of ex-combatant women.