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On June 29, 2008, Martha Obando was shot dead in the main street of her suburb in the outskirts of Buenaventura, Colombia. Obando, known affectionately as Dona Chila, was an active community and women's rights leader.

She started a small organization for women who had fled conflict and are now heads of their households.

Dona Chila was killed one hour after organizing a children's tournament of traditional games, held to dissuade young people from engaging in violence. Although many Colombians are unfortunately killed each year, Dona Chila's colleagues fear her murder was related to her human rights advocacy.

Take action now to urge the Colombian government to:

• Immediately investigate the killing and prosecute those responsible;
• Publicly condemn the killing; and
• Ensure that other women leaders in the region are adequately protected.