Hundreds of women in the western Colombian city of Pereira on Thursday marched in protest over how their image is portrayed both domestically and internationally.
The march, which took place in the department of Risaralda, was designed to raise awareness over the detrimental image that has been bestowed on the women of Pereira, the department’s capital, who are considered to be some of Colombia’s most beautiful.
One of the organizers of the march and protest group “I am Pereirana”, Valentina Robledo, spoke with Colombia Reports concerning the problems facing the women of Pereira.
“I live in Barcelona, where the image of Colombian women is completely erroneous,” she said. “People all over the world seem to believe that Colombian women are easy, like prostitutes, simply because we are percieved to be more sensual and attractive. This too is the attitude that women from Pereira face all over Colombia.”
Colombian newspaper El Tiempo reported that the women were protesting against being considered as merely sex-objects.
Robledo added “people in Colombia say that ‘if you tell a Pereirana to sit down, they’ll lie down.’ This is simply not true and is totally unfair on the women who live here.”
When talking about plans for the future Valentina expressed her wish that, following the turnout on Thursday, August 22 could be turned into a day of recognition for the women of Pereira.
“We intend to campaign further, to improve the image of women from Pereira and Colombia as a whole – the force of indignation and pride from the Pereira women proves that we are fighters, workers and honest women, and will not surrender or sacrifice our ideals.”
Sources
- Pereiranas ‘indignadas’ marcharon para defender su imagen (El Tiempo)
- Interview with Valentina Robledo