Natalia Pedraza Bravo is a photojournalist from Colombia who has been working in journalism since 2018. She is interested in science, environment and gender equity. Natalia’s work has been published in media such as El Espectador, Shock.co, Revista Cromos, Consejo de Redacción, Agencia EFE, and in 2021 she was the winner of the National Journalism Award Women, Peace and Security with an investigation on the sexual exploitation of indigenous girls in the Colombian Amazon. 

2023 IVLP Impact Award Project: Combatting Gender-Based Violence in Wayú Girls of La Guajira

The project was instrumental in bringing attention to the national crisis “Criadazgo”, which is a gender-based issue faced by indigenous Wayuu women. This journalistic project investigated and denouncing the different kind of violence that affects women and girls of the Wayúu community in La Guajira, Colombia. Through a combination of interviews with six women, documentary research and field reporting, Natalia's journalistic project addressed this topic that is greatly important to Colombian society and for the protection of human rights. The project informed and raised public awareness about the gender-based violence of Wayúu women and girls and promoted a real change in the way this problem is addressed in Colombia.

Natalia was also a panelist for the IVLP Impact Awards Alumni Discussion Series panel on “Advancing Human Rights for Marginalized Communities” which you can read more about here.

"Thanks to the colleagues I met in my IVLP experience, I learned about different ways of carrying out my work and exposing human rights issues." - Natalia Pedraza Bravo

2022 IVLP Impact Award Project: The Human Road Tolls of La Guajira, Colombia.

La Guajira is a predominantly indigenous region with one of the highest poverty rates in Colombia. In this part of the country, there are about 16,000 malnourished children, according to OICN figures, and the lack of access routes and corruption have perpetuated this situation. According to a 2020 report by the Research and Action Center for Legal and Social Studies, more than 60 children died of malnutrition in La Guajira and many others are exposed in the so-called, human road tolls, to get food. This practice consists of lifting a rope in the middle of the desert and thus forcing the cars to stop, the people who go in the vehicles carry food and after giving it to the children they can continue on their way. They rarely receive money and on many occasions receive treats, which are likely to worsen their malnutrition situation. In most cases, they are minors without the company of an adult.

This has been an issue with very poor journalistic coverage in Colombia. This project produced journalistic report that denounced this situation, explained its origins and offered options to resolve the conflict. The project focused on making the human road tolls of Alta Guajira visible and gave a voice to the indigenous community that participates in this practice. The project interviewed the local population of La Alta Guajira, from Riohacha to Punta Gallinas, and published an informational report on a national platform to widely share this issue. The article published from the project featured several indigenous voices to share their experiences, and it made what Wayu boys and girls experience at the human toll booths visible.  

Check out her article here: En la Alta Guajira los peajes se pagan con comida - https://www.elespectador.com/salud/en-la-alta-guajira-los-peajes-se-pagan-con-comida/

IVLP Exchange Experience

Natalia was a participant in the IVLP Project A Global Moment in Time: Photojournalists Document Challenges and Opportunities in the COVID Era in 2021 and 2022, organized by the U.S. Department of State and World Learning.

Natalia's exchange experience led her to develop her IVLP Impact Award Project: "Thanks to the colleagues I met in my IVLP experience, I learned about different ways of carrying out my work and exposing human rights issues."

U.S. Communities Visited in 2022

Washington, DC; St. Petersburg, FL; Santa Fe, NM

U.S. Communities Visited Virtually in 2021

Washington DC; Tampa, FL; Minneapolis, MN; Charlottesville, NC; Santa Fe, NM, Portland, OR; Dallas, TX; Milwaukee, WI

Country of Origin: Colombia

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