The Administrative Court of Casanare issued a historic ruling that declares the partial nullity of Minute No. 001 of 2024, in which the election of the permanent commissions of the Departmental Assembly for the period 2024 was recorded. The decision is based on the discrimination of gender evidenced in said election, by restricting the participation of female deputies to a single commission.
In the first instance ruling, with a presentation by Judge Leonardo Galeano Guevara, the Court accepted the arguments of the plaintiff, Luz Mery Niño Chaparro, who denounced the violation of the rights of the deputies by being limited to only being members of the Fifth Commission, known as «Commission for Women’s Equality».
The ruling highlights that this decision of the Assembly reproduced invalidating stereotypes against women, by giving an implicit message that they can only deal with “women’s issues”, distrusting their capacity, suitability and competence to participate in other commissions such as the of economic and budgetary matters.
Galeano Guevara warned that these acts constitute symbolic violence based on gender, making it difficult for women to exercise political activity and discouraging their participation by generating feelings of frustration and helplessness.
Consequently, the Court declared the exception of unconstitutionality of the expression “deputies” in article 54 of the Internal Regulations, which limited the Fifth Commission to men, disapplying it and requiring the mandatory participation of female deputies in this commission.
Although the claims to repeat the election and certify copies were denied, because the Assembly had already created new tables with the participation of the deputies, the ruling orders the corporation to publish the ruling on its website and send it to the Ombudsman’s Office for its diffusion.
This precedent marks important progress in the fight against gender discrimination in political representative bodies, reaffirming the state’s duty to guarantee material equality and the effective realization of women’s rights.
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