Catherine Juvinao: “Fighting for Equality and Transforming Politics in Colombia”
Source: UN Women
Catherine Juvinao Clavijo is a Colombian congresswoman, journalist, and civic activist currently serving as Representative to the Chamber for Bogotá with the Alianza Verde party. Since her election to Congress in 2022, she has championed initiatives focused on transparency, accountability, the fight against political privilege, the protection of women and children, as well as education reforms and oversight of public officials. In her interview, Catherine shares some of the challenges she faced as a woman in politics but also highlight the important legislative wins and achievements for gender parity in Colombia.
Catherine Juvinao the calling of politics early on. “I probably knew that politics was my path from the age of six,” she recalls. “My father, who is my political role model, taught me what it meant to feel pain at injustice. I saw him cry for the first time when presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galán was assassinated. From that moment, I understood that those of us who have had privileges, family, home, food, education, have a personal, ethical, and moral duty to fight so that everyone has the same opportunities.”
Her conviction is clear: “We cannot settle for living in privilege. When some of us break through glass ceilings, we must do everything we can to level the playing field for the rest of society.”
Catherine Juvinao Clavijo is a Colombian congresswoman, journalist, and civic activist currently serving as Representative to the Chamber for Bogotá with the Alianza Verde party. Since her election to Congress in 2022, she has championed initiatives focused on transparency, accountability, the fight against political privilege, the protection of women and children, as well as education reforms and oversight of public officials. In her interview, Catherine shares some of the challenges she faced as a woman in politics but also highlight the important legislative wins and achievements for gender parity in Colombia.
Catherine Juvinao the calling of politics early on. “I probably knew that politics was my path from the age of six,” she recalls. “My father, who is my political role model, taught me what it meant to feel pain at injustice. I saw him cry for the first time when presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galán was assassinated. From that moment, I understood that those of us who have had privileges, family, home, food, education, have a personal, ethical, and moral duty to fight so that everyone has the same opportunities.”
Her conviction is clear: “We cannot settle for living in privilege. When some of us break through glass ceilings, we must do everything we can to level the playing field for the rest of society.”