By Natalia Rueda 
In Colombia, violence against women is a problem that continues to be alarming and worrisome. The recent murders of Steffany Barranco and Natalia Vásquez Amaya in the city of Bogotá, in less than 24 hours, have generated a wave of indignation throughout the country. These femicides expose the sad reality that male violence continues to be a sad reality, and that the actions taken by the government have not been sufficient to protect women.
On May 30, Natalia was murdered by her ex-partner when he came to her house with the pretext of seeing their son. However, he ended up provoking an argument that culminated in a brutal attack with a knife. The woman tried to escape, but the aggressor chased her and caused fatal wounds. Her relatives who tried to intervene were also injured. The worrying thing is that Natalia had a protection measure, but that did not stop her aggressor from continuing to harass her and ending up taking her life.
On May 29, Steffany Barranco also lost her life at the hands of her ex-partner in a shopping mall in Bogotá. Unfortunately, these cases are not an isolated incident. In Colombia so far this year 90 femicides have been reported and 20 of these have been in Bogota, according to the observatory of femicides. It is estimated that the figure could be much higher as many cases go unreported.
How high does this number of femicides in the country have to be before the government starts to take action and begins to see as a priority to protect the lives of women who are abused and violated?