Colombia plans tough sentences for violence against women

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COLOMBIA passed a bill on Tuesday that aims to place tougher sentences on those who commit hate crimes against women.
The bill was passed with 104 votes in support and three against and it now has to be signed by president, Juan Manuel Santos, in order for it to become law.
Named after Rosa Elvira Cely, a woman who was attacked, raped and murdered by a man in a park in the capital, Bogota, in May 2012, those who are found guilty of hate crimes against women could now be faced with jail sentences of up to 50 years.
Longer sentences are to be imposed on those crimes where women are specifically targeted because of their gender. Psychological, physical and sexual attacks are also covered under this new law.
Presidential adviser for women’s equality Martha Ordonez said that in Colombia a woman is subjected to an act of violence every 13 minutes and even more worrying is the fact that every four days a woman is killed at the hands of her partner.
According to a 2013 World Health Organisation report, more than one in three women worldwide have experienced physical or sexual violence.

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