The Femicide of Eva Amaya Left Two Children without a Mother and Sucre without a Valuable Leader

Social leader Eva Amaya was found stabbed to death at her home in Santiago de Tolú (Sucre) in September 2022.

*Article written by Sandy Pallares, Juan José Pavajeau & Daniela Sierra.

The department of Sucre may be a paradise for cattle raising and a land of vast savannas where the heat surrounds its inhabitants making it a warm and pleasant territory, but it also has a series of problematic issues that affect its growth. It is located in the north of Colombia with access to the Caribbean Sea, and proximity to large and important rivers, such as the Magdalena and the San Jorge, which converge to the south where the "Depresión Momposina" floodplains are found; thanks to this water wealth, the department has a great advantage for agricultural production. However, it is also an essential strategic route for illegal armed groups, due to its proximity to various departments such as Antioquia and Córdoba, which is also an essential factor in the increase of drug trafficking through the waterways. Nevertheless, illegal armed groups and illegal economic activities are not the only issues that plague this department, as it has also generated very serious structural problems such as sporadic violence and labor informality, which, together with insecurity, corruption, and poor-quality public services, form the main problems that the department is facing (Semana, 2022). Therefore, the work of social leaders has been essential. Social leaders are people that stick up for the rights and necessities of Sucre’s society. As they do throughout Colombia. Even though their labor is dangerous, it is vital, and it helps the improvement of the department. In Sucre there have been many social leaders who fight against powerful and dangerous groups that can threaten their lives. This article will explain the case of Eva Amaya, a persistent and proactive social leader from Santiago de Tolú who fought in defense of women’s rights and innovation in the department but sadly was found dead in her own house.

Social leaders in Sucre, whether men or women, face a series of significant challenges and can face similar difficulties. These include the threat of violence and intimidation by illegal armed groups, which makes it a dangerous labor in almost every case: "Four years after the Peace Agreement, nearly 47 attacks on social leaders have been registered in eight municipalities in the department of Sucre. Of the total number of cases, 30 are threats, 11 assassinations, and six attacks against men and women who lead victims process, community and land restitution processes, mainly" (Arias, et al., 2020). Such a situation is allowed to occur due to the lack of resources and support from the government and institutions, and discrimination based on the ethnicity or political position of the leaders. However, it is important to emphasize that women social leaders may face additional challenges due to their gender. Women often have less access to the resources and funding needed to lead organizations and carry out social projects and can also be victims of gender-based violence, harassment and discrimination both at home and in the community. In addition, women may have fewer opportunities to access leadership positions and to participate fully in decision making in their community; even so, when they access these positions, they are a clearer target of intimidation and violence that can foreshadow their death sentence. These factors are all clearly and sadly present in the case of social leader Eva Amaya Vidal.

Eva Amaya Vidal was one of the outstanding social leaders of the department of Sucre, whose work continues to have great relevance nowadays. According to El Heraldo (2022), Eva Amaya Vidal was part of different programs of the Governor's Office of Sucre, such as the Productivity and Innovation Strategy, Sucre Innova and Sucre Sabe Diferente, where she developed as a female leader. This shows that she was an innovative, creative, and strong woman who pursued social change in her community. Eva strived for greater opportunities for women and was an important representative of the Afro-Colombian community in her region. She was born, grew up and lived in Santiago de Tolu in Sucre, a Colombian municipality located on the Caribbean coast, where social problems such as corruption and a marked gender inequality still persist, as well as environmental problems such as the existence of large amounts of solid waste. The aforementioned issues are related to Eva's work, because she was a woman who was always active and looking for optimal solutions to improve the living conditions of her community. For instance, she worked on the Sucre Sabe Diferente project, which offered "training in business plans and endowment for positioned enterprises of local cooks with traditional knowledge" (Fondo mixto de promocion de la Cultura y las artes en Sucre, 2021), which shows that Eva worked for the benefit of economic development to mitigate a social problem that was affecting Santiago de Tolu. In fact, according to the Fondo mixto de promoción de la Cultura y las artes en Sucre (2021), the objective of providing equipment and utensils to 12 cooks to improve the productive processes of their enterprises was successfully achieved. Likewise, Eva Amaya worked for the Sucre Innova project, which "seeks to increase the creation of businesses in the department of Sucre" (Region Caribe, 2021). Considering the above, it can be said that Eva Amaya Vidal was one of the most important leaders of the department of Sucre due to her participation in various social and economic projects in the department. In addition, it is worth mentioning that she stuck up for human rights and believed in gender equality. However, unfortunately this great leader was cut down in an act of extreme violence.

The dead body of Eva Amaya was discovered in her home in September 2022. Eva Amaya's femicide caused great consternation and rejection in the department. The president of the Afro Consultative of the department of Sucre, Ana Palomino, said in an interview with Resumen Latinoamericano that "Eva's death is an irreparable loss for the Afro community" and assured that they are very hurt, since Eva was a leader in processes of cultural ethnic strengthening. According to Resumen Latinoamericano, (2022) the most important details of the crime are that:

The leader was found dead on Sunday, September 11, when her relatives went to look for her after not hearing anything from her since Friday; upon entering the house, they found the body in the bathroom with 4 wounds caused by a knife, in the village of El Guerrero, in the rural area of Santiago de Tolú. Eva lived with her partner, Freddy Rodríguez and her two children, 7 and 10 years old, but no one was found in the house and their location was unknown. Subsequently, on Monday, September 12, the minors were found in a municipality of Cundinamarca, and hours later Freddy Rodríguez, the leader's romantic partner, and allegedly the person responsible for the crime, was found dead. The news came in the afternoon, when the man's body was found in a hotel room in Fusagasugá, where he was a native. The authorities indicate that it could have been a suicide.

When this happened, the Ombudsman's Office spoke out in condemnation of the femicide and emphasized the risks faced by human rights leaders; apart from this, an early warning was issued called AT 004/22, which points out the differential risk on women leaders and defenders, who in addition to be being targeted due to the valuable work they do, are often victims of gender-based violence. In the case of Eva, it seems the violence that ended her life came from someone who was supposed to always care for her. However, the threats faced by such leaders often come from various sources.

There are many factors that contribute to the persistence of violence against social leaders in Sucre. First, one factor is the armed conflict which means that like in many other regions of Colombia, Sucre has experienced decades of armed conflict between illegal armed groups, military and local groups. According to INDEPAZ, (2022) the groups that are present in the area where Eva was murdered are the AGC (Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia: a criminal organization which emerged from the demobilized AUC paramilitaries) and other local groups. This conflict has established the normalization of violence and a lack of trust in institutions and justice. As a second factor, there are the economic interests. The Sucre region is rich in natural resources such as oil, gas and minerals. These economic interests result in motives for armed groups outside the law and for other actors that result in decisions such as intimidating and attacking social leaders who oppose the exploitation of these resources or who defend the rights of communities affected by industries. As a third factor, there is discrimination and exclusion which refers to the pushback experienced as social leaders often defend the rights of vulnerable groups, such as indigenous communities, Afro-descendants, women and people in the LGBTIQ+ community. As a final factor, there is a lack of protection and justice. Despite of the Colombian government's efforts to protect social leaders, a lack of resources and corruption often prevents the protection measures from being implemented. INDEPAZ data states that from 2016 until the end of July 2023, 1,512 social leaders have been murdered, and in the department of Sucre, where Eva was murdered, there have been 21 such murders. In addition, impunity in cases of violence against social leaders promotes a culture of violence and foments mistrust in institutions. As can be seen in the case of Eva, the danger some leaders face may even extend to their homes.

In summary, the department of Sucre in Colombia faces challenges that continue hindering its growth and development. These challenges include illegal armed groups, corruption, poor quality public services, and sporadic violence; but that's not all, violence comes in different ways. In this case, we addressed violence against social leaders, especially women through the example of Eva Amaya. This is a serious concern in the department. These leaders face threats, discrimination, and gender violence, which makes their work even more challenging. The persistence of violence against leaders in Sucre can be attributed to various elements such as armed conflict, economic interests, discrimination, exclusion, and the lack of justice. Government efforts to protect social leaders are hampered by a lack of resources and corruption, which produces a culture of violence and mistrust in institutions. All these issues are increased thanks to the marked culture of gender-based violence in the region. Addressing these issues is critical to ensuring a prosperous future for the department and its people in order to achieve a true change that makes possible an improvement in terms of rights and matters of security. These improvements are the very least that slain leaders like Eva Amaya deserve.

References

Arias, V., Mayorga, C., y Corredor, S. (2020). Liderazgos en Sucre: una labor de “bajo perfil”. La Paz en el Terreno. https://lapazenelterreno.com/mapas-de-riesgo/liderazgo-en-sucre/

El Heraldo, R. (2022, September 13). La Defensoría del Pueblo rechazó el feminicidio de Eva Amaya ocurrido en Tolú. EL HERALDO. https://www.elheraldo.co/sucre/eva-amaya-feminicidio-de-lideresa-en-tolu-sucre-con-arma-blanca-938055

Fondo mixto de promocion de la Cultura y las artes en Sucre (2021). Sucre Sabe Diferente cerró proyecto que beneficia a cocineros y cocineras tradicionales en Rincón del Mar. Fondo Mixto De Cultura De Sucre. https://fondomixtodesucre.org/sucre-sabe-diferente-cerro-proyecto-que-beneficia-a-cocineros-y-cocineras-tradicionales-en-rincon-del-mar/2021/#:~:text=La%20formaci%C3%B3n%20a%2012%20emprendedores,procesos%20productivos%20de%20sus%20emprendimientos.

Observatorio de DDHH, conflictividades y paz. LÍDERES SOCIALES, DEFENSORES DE DD.HH Y FIRMANTES DE ACUERDO ASESINADOS EN 2022 – Indepaz. (31 de diciembre 2022). https://indepaz.org.co/lideres-sociales-defensores-de-dd-hh-y-firmantes-de-acuerdo-asesinados-en-2022/

Region Caribe (2021). Gobernador de Sucre lanzó el Proyecto Sucre Emprende, Innova y Crea. Región Caribe. https://regioncaribe.com.co/gobernador-de-sucre-lanzo-el-proyecto-sucre-emprende-innova-y-crea/#:~:text=Sucre%20Emprende%2C%20Innova%20y%20Crea%20es%20un%20proyecto%20de%20inversi%C3%B3n,operada%20por%20la%20Secretar%C3%ADa%20de

Resumen Latinoamericano. (2022, 18 septiembre). Colombia. Feminicidio de Eva Amaya Vidal, en Santiago de Tolú, Sucre, es una gran pérdida para la comunidad afro - Resumen Latinoamericano. https://www.resumenlatinoamericano.org/2022/09/18/colombia-feminicidio-de-eva-amaya-vidal-en-santiago-de-tolu-sucre-es-una-gran-perdida-para-la-comunidad-afro/

Semana (2022, 29 agosto). Una mirada a Sucre. Semana.com Ãltimas Noticias de Colombia y el Mundo. https://www.semana.com/sucre-como-impulsar-el-desarrollo-en-la-region/493249/