Amid rising violence in Colombia, girls and women are being held as sex slaves: ‘No woman is safe’

The Catatumbo region, home to huge coca fields, has been ravaged by a fight for control between two armed groups

The rebels would come to the brothel every day, armed and masked. They would order the women to line up on their hands and knees, put their guns in their mouths, and rape them.

“It was ugly. A place filled with women and underage girls – all of us tricked and trapped,” recalled Valeria, 21, whose name has been changed to protect her identity. “The guerrillas came like they were there to kill.”

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