Isabel Cristina García

Catalyzed Colombia's first femicide law through grassroots activism

Isabel Cristina García is a Colombian human rights defender and founder of Somos Defensores, an organization that brought national attention to femicide through relentless activism. Born in 1970, her advocacy began after witnessing the unsolved murders of 33 women in the city of Barrancabermeja between 2000-2004. Her research revealed these killings were not isolated incidents but systematic violence against women in conflict zones.

García organized the 'March of the 33' in 2005, a public protest that became a national movement. Her testimony before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights led to Colombia's first Femicide Law (Ley 1257/2008), which recognizes gender-based violence as a specific crime. This legislation has since inspired similar laws across Latin America. She also pioneered the 'Yellow Alarm' system - a community-based early warning mechanism for gender violence.

Despite receiving multiple death threats, García expanded her work to protect environmental and land rights defenders. Her collaboration with Amnesty International produced the groundbreaking report "The Price of Being a Woman in Colombia". In 2016, she co-founded the Red Latinoamericana de Investigación sobre Homicidios de Mujeres to create regional databases on gender violence. García's story is documented in the documentary "Voices of Resistance" (2020). Her work earned the 2019 International Women of Courage Award from the US State Department. García's legacy lies in transforming individual tragedies into systemic legal reforms, making her a pivotal figure in global gender justice movements.