UPDATED ON:
Saturday, August 11, 2007
14:42 Mecca time, 11:42 GMT
 
Programmes WITNESS
Living In Fear

Director: Tara Sutton

Bloodshed in Bogota
Colombia’s civil war has been going on now for over forty years. Thousands have been killed and many civilians forced to flee their homes and become refugees.

Women in particular suffer extraordinary hardships. Many have had their children abducted for ransom, or their husbands killed, or both. Journalist Tara Sutton traveled to Bogota, the capital city of 8 million, to find some of these hidden women living in fear.

Like most of the women filmed, twenty-four year-old Esther, a mother of six, wanted to have her identity protected for fear of being recognized. She used to live on a farm where she was supported by her mother but fled to Bogota to escape the conflict. With little money and no work, the only place she has found to live in with her children is a tiny room within a cardboard box warehouse. Esther underwent surgery to sterilise herself, not wanting to expose any more children to the life that her and her family have been forced to live.

No Guarantees
Laura lived in a village where the guerrillas were a constant presence. They would take children from the women to force them to do their cooking and cleaning. Laura’s two children were taken from her and she was told to stay or leave. She chose to leave in the hope that she could one day go back to save them.

But for women like Laura and Esther, there are no guarantees. 

Your Comments:

Add your comments on this film.


Click here to see a selection of Witness episodes online.

Click here to view the in your area
Schedule.

To contact us with comments on the film, click on 'Send your feedback' at the top of the page.

 

 
ARTICLE TOOLS
 Email Article  Email article
 Print Article  Print article
 Send Feedback  Send feedback
 Share article  Share article