Colombia is facing growing social and humanitarian concern over an alarming increase in cases of sexual violence and femicide.
According to Legal Medicine data, sexual abuse of older adult women increased 31% during 2026. Examinations by that entity indicate these cases rose from 70 to 92 between January and July this year.
However, professionals consulted say these records correspond only to examinations of victims who reported some type of abuse. Because other cases are neither investigated nor reported, the real number of victims is believed to be much higher.
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As of July 2026, official Colombian figures show 89 femicides and 16,451 sexual crimes, although there are significant discrepancies with social organizations, which report higher figures.
The Ombudsman’s Office reported the 89 completed cases, plus 74 attempts and 20 transfemicides, acknowledging 191 cases in 2025 compared with more than 600 reported by organizations. The Femicide Observatory documented 621 femicides in September 2025 before suspending its count due to lack of funds.
Estamos en Emergencia Nacional por Violencias Basadas en Género en Colombia. Rechazamos el feminicidio de Doña Blanca Pardo y denunciamos el incremento de las violencias contra las mujeres mayores.
Exigimos justicia y una vida libre de violencias para todas.
Les invitamos a la… pic.twitter.com/xFVbj13OWN
— Yesenia Moreno Rodríguez – Yess (@yessmorenor_) October 10, 2026
The Colombian Prosecutor’s Office reports 16,451 complaints of sexual crimes, most of them against girls and adolescents with 12,457 cases, followed by adult women with 3,583. It also records 166 cases of sexual exploitation of minors and 151 trafficking victims.
Between August and September 2026, the Prosecutor’s Office reported the prosecution of 275 people for sexual crimes against minors, of whom 258 received a precautionary measure of deprivation of liberty while the process continues, clarifying that this does not equal a conviction.
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