Unsung Hero: Diana

My name is Diana Patricia Solís. I’m from a small town called Guacarí in the Valle del Cauca department of Colombia. I have two sons. In 1995, I became a victim of sexual violence. I was attacked by a group of several FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) men who live in the valley. It is very difficult to talk about this because of how you feel after. You feel dirty. Rape makes you feel bad. It’s horrible. Your whole world crumbles. They kept me up in in the mountains for two days and did all sorts to me. I couldn’t defend myself. As a result of the attack, I also contracted a sexually transmitted infection. I couldn’t say anything because I was afraid of the consequences for my family. I was working for a family in Cali back then and I just told my boss because I was out shopping for breakfast when they took me away. I told my boss because he saw the state I was in when they let me go. I never told my family or my friends. Doctors of the World really helped me. They taught me to be strong, and now I can talk about the attack in a calmer way. At first, I couldn’t bear speaking about it and would burst into tears. The trainings I completed with staff members such as Sandrita and Marta helped me to understand that it wasn’t my fault and that I was not to blame. I never asked for this to happen. As I was trying to move on with my life with my sons, I became displaced. When my eldest son was 20, FARC wanted him to join them but he did not want to go. I wou...
Source: Doctors of the World News - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Uncategorised Source Type: news