This investigation tells the stories of Carolina and Karen, two survivors of sexual violence by Hernán Giraldo, one of Colombia’s most infamous paramilitary commanders. They are part of over 200 girls and women who were abused by Giraldo and his men in the northern Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range.
Giraldo used sexual abuse and rape to cement his absolute control over local populations and dominate this part of Colombia from the 1990s until the early 2000s. Years later, Karen and Carolina continue to suffer from the physical and psychological scars of these crimes as they try to move on with their lives.
Investigation Chapters
A Criminal Empire that Abused Girls and Women
It was 7:00 at night. Carolina was lying in bed and turned on the TV just as a news reporter announced: “One of the most bloodthirsty paramilitary leaders of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta has arrived, deported from the United States. He just finished serving a 12-year prison sentence for drug trafficking.”
A Desperate Effort to Rebuild Lives
After running for hours, Carolina, 21, arrived in the city of Santa Marta with her family in 2000. Their feet were full of blisters and they had nothing but the clothes on their back.
The Truth Comes Out
At the start of 2010, the former Colombian paramilitary leader Hernán Giraldo Serna was completing his sentence for drug trafficking in a US prison.
