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Peronist Alberto Fernandez welcomed the “end of patriarchy” in March 2022Two and a half years later, we know not only that patriarchy never died, but that the Justice Department is investigating whether the then president of Argentina beat his wife, Fabiola Yañez, and abused his power to do so. According to the judicial statement given by the former first lady, Fernández punched her at least once and slapped her several times, grabbed her by the neck and even hit her when she was pregnant and they lived together in the presidential residence in Olivos.
He denies it, but the case advances in the courts with Fernández charged with alleged “serious injuries.” Meanwhile, indignation is growing in the face of violence against women and also in the face of a double hypocrisy: that of left-wing leaders who defend feminist principles while not calling them into question and that of right-wing leaders who, overnight, stop thinking that victims are lying and use their complaints to say that gender policies are useless.
The complaint against Fernández reminds us that sexism is deeply rooted in our societies and does not distinguish between political ideologies, social classes or gender. In recent years, the 144 line, a free telephone line that offers support and assistance to victims of violence, has answered nearly 340 calls per day, more than 10,000 per month. This reality has been ignored by the government of the far-right Javier Milei, who has reduced staff to a minimum and left victims with fewer tools than before.
Solidarity with Yañez
Yañez’s image as first lady became associated with the birthday party she held with Fernández and a group of friends at the presidential residence in July 2020, when strict lockdown measures were in force prohibiting such gatherings. Still, much of Argentine society has expressed solidarity with her and repudiated the alleged physical violence she suffered at the hands of the former president when that party came to light, according to the prosecutor’s indictment.
This time, unlike other cases of great media impact, many men have raised their voices even within Fernández’s political space, Peronism. Here are three examples among many: the governor of Buenos Aires, Axel Kicillof, described the accusation as “very serious”; Senator Eduardo Wado de Pedro said he was ashamed that Fernández had been president, and social leader Juan Grabois stressed that “immoral actions usually come from the immoral.” It is likely that they will criticize him in an attempt to distance themselves from him, even due to internal fights, but in doing so they have broken what on other occasions was a clamorous silence. It is a small, great step.
Now it is up to those who were close to the presidential couple to speak. One of the peculiarities of this case is that the alleged abuse did not occur within the four walls of a private home but in an official residence, that of the highest authority of the Argentine State. Every day about 200 people enter and leave there. If Fernández hit her, someone might see something. Or hear something. Or at least ask questions about the bruises on Yañez’s eye and arm that were recorded in the photographs that have been leaked to the media. The presidential doctor has already been summoned to testify by the judge, but it is expected that the list of possible witnesses will be long. This is a fundamental difference with that of many victims who are completely isolated.
In the days when the scandal broke out over the Olivos party, the first lady was very distressed by her partner’s violent reaction and was looking for help, according to the alleged chat between Yañez and Fernández’s secretary, María Cantero, published by the newspaper The Nation“I tell you this with a lot of tears. He knows that I could be pregnant and he hit me anyway,” the former first lady confessed to Cantero. “Last night he hit me, today he grabbed me by the neck,” she continued before saying that he hit her three times in two days. “He is having a very bad time, but he will never justify that,” the secretary responded, according to the published messages. Cantero did not know or did not dare to help the woman who was his boss’s wife, beyond offering to go visit her. Sorority clashes with the fear of losing one’s job.
According to Yañez, the abuse continued in the following years and in 2023 she asked for help from the Minister of Women, Gender and Diversity, Ayelén Mazzina, but received no response. Mazzina denies this. It is a very serious accusation against the person responsible for the fight against gender violence in the Fernández Government and the courts have opened a separate file to clarify whether she broke the law. If confirmed, it would show the impunity with which the then president acted, the enormous asymmetry of power between the aggressor and his victim, and how difficult it is to file a complaint in such a case.
The far right is seizing on the suspicion that falls on Fernández to discredit gender policies. Milei’s spokesman, Manuel Adorni, has described them as “cheap politics” and has assured that “they are useless.” This is not true. The cultural change driven by feminism has led to women like Yañez going to court regardless of the power of the person they are denouncing. They decide to do so even though they know that all their privacy will be exposed, that they will be accused of lying, of acting at the instigation of others or with an extortionate purpose. It is an emblematic case that can mark the course of Argentina in the fight against gender violence. Listening to Yañez, many victims are reliving the nightmare they experienced firsthand. Others are observing the response of the Justice system to decide whether or not to file a complaint.
These are our recommendations of the week:
The Argentine prosecutor’s office highlights the “framework of gender violence” in which the alleged attacks against Fabiola Yañez occurred
Former first lady Fabiola Yañez accuses Fernández of having exercised physical and psychological violence against her. The former Argentine president denies it
The Argentine government justifies the closure of the Ministry of Women because “it was obviously useless”
So-called ‘body shaming’ is the criticism of someone for their shape, size or appearance of their body. It is carried out mainly against women and the sports world is no exception. Water polo player Paula Leitón has been the latest to suffer from it.
The Taliban have wiped out women from universities, from virtually all jobs and from places of leisure. Confined to their homes and faced with international inaction, many young women only dream of leaving.
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#Machismo #left
