One Femicide Every 32 Hours in Argentina: Report

A report published Wednesday by La Casa del Encuentro (The Meeting House), an Argentine civil society organization, revealed that one femicide is committed in Argentina every 32 hours.

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The report was published only four days before the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (Nov. 25) that gathers social organizations and movements to protest against gender-based violence against women, including rising rates of femicides.

According to data by the Femicide Observatory of Argentina, around 225 women were murdered between Jan. 1 and Oct. 31, 2018. Of these, around 200 femicides were committed by former partners or relatives of the women.

Ada Rico, the president of La Casa del Encuentro and the director of the Observatory said, "women were shot (57), stabbed (53), beaten (39), strangled (19), incinerated (12), asphyxiated (8), decapitated (5), hanged (6)," and some were even dismembered.

According to the report, more than 60 percent of victims were between the age of 19 and 50, around 15 percent of women were younger than 18, and 22 percent were older than 51.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Argentina also wrote on Twitter saying, “violence against women and girls is one of the most systematic and widespread #HumanRights violation,” while adding the data provided by the civil society.

Debunking the myth of homes as safe spaces, the director also stressed that 62 percent of femicides were committed in the victims' homes.

While talking about gender violence in private spaces like homes, the organization mentioned that 87 percent of women do not file formal complaints while being assaulted in their own houses.

Clara Santamarina, the area coordinator informed that in 13 cases, when the victims came forward, restraining orders had been issued against the aggressors.

She also demanded that the government comply with the laws, provide economic support to the victims and survivors, train civil servants to handle the cases properly, and establish unified judicial tribunes to combat violence against women in Argentina.

A day before the report was published, legislator Silvia Horne of the Evita Movement of Rio Negro proposed to remove the category “sex” from all public and private documents and identity cards to build a more inclusive society and promote diversity against norms of the society.

“We will continue working to make it a law, to assert our individual rights and our bodies...We will initiate judicial measures for all the claims that exist throughout the country,” said Flavia Mazzensio, secretary of legal affairs of the Argentine Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Trans, and Bisexuals (FALGTB).