Alert for the increase of homicides of LGBTIQ+ people in Colombia

Antioquia is the department with the highest number of cases. Last Sunday, November 12, authorities reported the homicide in Sincelejo (Sucre) of a trans woman named Lucero.

According to the police, the victim was attacked by two men on a motorcycle in a sector between the neighborhoods Cielo Azul and Invasión 20 de Junio, in the northern part of the capital of Sucre. Two weeks ago, in the same city, the crime of Pamela was also reported, who was murdered in circumstances similar to those of Lucero.

These two cases raised the alarm among authorities and organizations due to the increase in violence against this population, in addition to threats with pamphlets and other victimizing acts.

The organization Caribe Afirmativo, through its human rights observatory, counts four homicides and/or femicides of LGBTIQ+ people in the department of Sucre in 2023.

"These figures are worrying when compared to the year 2022, since in the report 'No se mata lo que no se olvida' this department reported 4 cases of homicides and/or femicides, which translates into November 2023 reporting the same number of 2022. The concern is based on the history of violence, since the last quarter of the year is the season where more acts of violence are recorded," said the organization.

But the observatory's figures also show that to date there are 60 documented cases throughout the country, one more than those recorded in the same period of 2022, when 59 were counted. 

The department of Antioquia reports 14 cases, followed by Atlántico, with 11; Bogotá and Magdalena, with 6 cases each; Valle del Cauca, with 5 cases; Sucre with 4; and Meta with 3 cases.

Cesar and Huila registered 2 cases each, while Bolivar, Cauca, Cordoba, Norte de Santander, Putumayo, Risaralda and Tolima each reported one case.

Wilson Castañeda, director of Caribe Afirmativo, highlighted that the alert is not only born from the number of murders, but also from threats by pamphlets and other victimizing facts. "As already mentioned, there are still days to go before the end of the year 2023, and the last quarter is where most violent acts are registered. The sample is that in just one week 4 cases of murders were reported in different parts of the country," he said.

Faced with this alert situation, the director welcomes the issuance by the Prosecutor's Office of the directive "through which guidelines are established for the investigation and prosecution of violence based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity, real or perceived".

El Tiempo.