Accusations against Medellin Mayor Daniel Quintero and Oscar nominee Ciro Guerra have revived a debate about widespread sexual harassment and abuse of women in Colombia.
Feminist website Volcanicas received eight complaints over Guerra from women who said to either have been sexually harassed or abused by arguably the country’s top film producer of the moment.
Quintero found himself accused of trying to censor media after newspaper El Espectador reported that one anonymous woman said she was sexually abused by the mayor and a second one said to have suffered sexual harassment.
A collective working against sexual violence and discrimination in the entertainment industry, Rec Sisters, added Thursday that not even one of 147 colleagues they had polled said to not have suffered some form of sexual harassment at work.
The guilty plea of seven soldiers who admitted to raping a 13-year-old girl further highlighted how Colombia’s women and girls are constantly under threat.
Ciro Guerra
Ciro Guerra is the wonder-boy of Colombian cinema. Or at least he was until Thursday when seven women came forward with evidence of sexual harassment and one accusing him of sexual abuse.
Anonymous woman
The woman accusing Guerra of sexual abuse said she was able to escape because she was able to call her boyfriend who rushed to pick her up.
Other women published WhatsApp messages of the film director to back up their stories he had sexually harassed them.
Following the publication of the testimonies, Guerra posted a video online saying the claims “are completely false” and vowed to file legal action against the women.
Daniel Quintero
Medellin’s mayor got in trouble after a woman anonymously accused him of sexually abusing her at a party in 2017.
According to the anonymous woman, she fell asleep at a party and woke up because the politician was on top of her masturbating. The woman said she asked Quintero to stop, which he wouldn’t until after he ejaculated over her.
A second woman, who did reveal her name, said on Instagram and reiterated in interviews the Medellin Mayor sexually harassed her while she was working in a bar in 2016 until last week when she went quiet.
Quintero told W Radio on Wednesday that “I have never harassed or abused anyone” after failed attempts to obstruct reports on the claims.
According to press freedom foundation FLIP, the mayor asked the owners of newspaper El Espectador and W Radio to call back reporters after they unsuccessfully tried to get Quintero’s response.
The W Radio reporters told FLIP there had been attempts to hack their social media accounts. Journalist Ana Cristina Restrepo said her weekly column, which would touch on the topic, didn’t make it to Medellin newspaper El Colombiano on time because of atypical issues with her email.
The deafening silence
The claims against Guerra and Quintero come after the #MeToo movement inspired several women to come forward to denounce they had been raped or sexually harassed.
None of these claims have resulted in convictions or have even affected the careers of the men accused of sexual aggression or violence.
In an attempt to defend women who were too afraid to speak out or file charges, journalist Claudia Morales admitted she had been raped, but said fear impeded her to say by who.
While also receiving support, accusations Morales was seeking attention or sought to stain the reputation of her former employers made it painfully evident why many women remain silent about the widespread harassment and violence.