Thousands of women from Latin America, one of the regions in the world with the highest rates of feminicide, came out this Saturday, November 25, to demonstrate in defense of their rights, on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The UN and human rights organizations called on governments to urgently promote gender policies in this region, where at least 4,050 women were victims of feminicide in 2022 and in which the female population also suffers from inequality, poverty, fear of reporting and lack of regulations to protect them.
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The streets of the main cities of the world were filled with protesters this Saturday, November 25, on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, which, according to the United Nations, affects one in three women in the world.
In the Latin American region, where, according to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), at least one woman is murdered for gender reasons every two hours, feminist, social and human rights organizations called for marches to demand from the authorities more strategies and policies to put an end to violence against women and combat other scourges that especially affect the female population, such as inequality, sexual abuse and harassment.
The claims were supported by the regional director of UN Women, María Noel Vaeza, stating: “the evidence shows that the presence of a strong and autonomous feminist movement is a critical factor in promoting change in public policies for the elimination of violence.” against women”
Something that the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, agrees with, who stated that violence against women is a terrible violation of human rights and a public health crisis.
Violence against women is a horrific violation of human rights, a public health crisis, and a major obstacle to sustainable development.
Let’s build a world that refuses to tolerate violence against women anywhere, in any form, once and for all.
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) November 25, 2023
Latin America, one of the regions with the highest rates of feminicide
At least 4,050 women were victims of feminicide in 26 countries and territories in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2022, according to the latest regional datadelivered by official organizations to the Gender Equality Observatory of Latin America and the Caribbean (OIG) of ECLAC and published this week.
“We will not tire of repeating it: Latin America and the Caribbean has the duty to prevent and eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls. It is unacceptable that more than 4,000 women and girls are murdered every year in our countries for gender reasons,” said the executive secretary of ECLAC, José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs.
According to OIG calculations, based on data differentiated by age groups provided by eight countries, in more than 70% of the cases the victims are women between 15 and 44 years old, while 4% correspond to children under 15 years old. In the case of Panama and Uruguay, the percentage of children under 15 years of age who are victims of feminicide exceeds 10%.
The highest rates of feminicide recorded during 2022 per 100,000 women were reported in Honduras (6.0) and the Dominican Republic (2.9).
Lack of investment and laws
Violence against women “is costly, since some countries estimate that the economic impact of gender violence is around 3.7% of GDP. However, the investment is regrettable, barely 0.2% of full assistance in 2022,” lamented UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous.
“Our collective folly in not investing is all the more frustrating because we know what needs to be done: reform and implement multisectoral laws and policies; ensure survivors have access to the services they need; expand evidence-based prevention interventions; and hold accountable to the aggressors,” Bahous added in a message on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
On the other hand, there are shortcomings in the legislation.
The Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women broadly governs international efforts. The document defines violence against women as follows:
“Any act of violence based on belonging to the female sex that results or may result in physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, as well as threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether they occur in public life or in private life.”
In Latin America, although there has been regulatory progress, the lack of effective laws still represents a burden for the region.
In the case of the Caribbean, according to the ECLAC observatory, no country has comprehensive laws on gender violence. Regarding the classification of the crime of femicide, in Latin America and the Caribbean, 18 nations have this criminal figure; Of these, 13 have comprehensive laws regarding violence against women.
The UN General Assembly officially established November 25 as the Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
With a leading role recognized by the highest international bodies, the mobilization of groups and activists, who every November 25 flood the streets of the world with green and purple, represents the hope of seeking peace.
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