At least 11 women die every day in the region due to gender violence

Indigenous women and feminists in Argentina came together this month to put a stop to “chineo,” as it is known, a racist and colonialist practice that dates back to the time of the Spanish conquest and that allows white men to gang rape women. indigenous people or underage girls with impunity.

“The chineo seal tears the identity and dignity of women and girls. Their feelings are made invisible and silenced,” explained in the middle of this month Irene Cari, an indigenous activist from the province of Salta, in northern Argentina, who founded the Women’s Forum for Equal Opportunities.

“Women’s rights are universal rights,” Cari said this month.

But they are not the only ones. Under the social media hashtag #NoThereExcusa, women from the region and the world celebrate this Tuesday the International Day to Eliminate Violence against Women, in a 16-day campaign that each year seeks to make visible how violent actions against women and girls continue. being one of the most widespread and widespread human rights violations on the planet.

UN calculations reflect that globally, almost one in three women have been victims of physical and/or sexual violence at least once in their lives.

In Latin America and the Caribbean this figure reaches 11 women murdered per day for this cause, which shows that violence against women persists and impacts thousands of women and girls throughout the Latin American and Caribbean region each year.

According to the most recent data from official sources and national mechanisms for the advancement of women from the Gender Equality Observatory of Latin America and the Caribbean, in 2023, at least 3,897 women were victims of feminicide in 27 countries and territories of the region: 3,877 in 18 Latin American countries and 20 in 9 Caribbean countries.

“This translates into at least 11 gender-based murders of women every day in the region,” says the UN.

The organization indicates that the persistence of this crime, the most extreme manifestation of violence against women, “highlights the urgent need to strengthen public policies and implement concrete measures to prevent and eliminate this serious violation of the human rights of women.” women and girls in all their diversity.

In 2023, 11 of the 18 countries and territories in Latin America and the Caribbean that present data of this type reported a rate of femicides and femicides of more than 1 per 100,000 women.

The highest recorded femicide rates were recorded in Honduras (7.2 cases per 100,000 women), the Dominican Republic (2.4 cases per 100,000 women), and Brazil (1.4 cases per 100,000 women). The lowest rates were recorded in Haiti (0.2 cases per 100,000 women) and Chile (0.4 cases per 100,000 women).

Femicide and feminicide rates in 5 of 13 countries and territories in Latin America and the Caribbean (Peru, Argentina, Uruguay, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic) remained stable with slight variations. In contrast, five other countries and territories (Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Ecuador and Honduras) recorded higher rates of femicide or feminicide in 2023 than in 2015.

In Mexico, however, this rate has decreased since 2020. The largest difference is in Paraguay, where the rate increased 0.7 percentage points in the period.

An annual campaign to prevent violence against women

The “Join” campaign runs until December 10, Human Rights Day.

Under the social media hashtag #NoHayExcusa, This year’s campaign focuses in the fact that “every 10 minutes a woman is murdered.

This means that, on average, 140 women or girls die at the hands of a member of their own family every day. Current or former partners are, by a wide margin, those who have the greatest probability of perpetrating femicide. On average, they account for 60% of all murders at the hands of a partner or family member.

“The objective is to mobilize all members of society in the face of an alarming escalation of violence against women, as well as to revitalize commitments and demand responsibility and concrete measures from decision-makers,” says the UN.

The alarming figures

According to the UN, around 51,100 women and girls around the world will die at the hands of their partners or other family members in 2023.

“This is a scourge that has intensified in different environments, including the workplace and online spaces, and has been aggravated by conflict and climate change,” explains the international organization in a text.

At the same time, he affirms that the solution is to “end impunity, adopt and finance action plans and invest in solutions proposed by women’s rights movements.”

16 days of activism

Between today and December 10, the global call is open for more women and men to join the days to raise awareness of this phenomenon that is costing the lives of many women.

Empowering women exposed to violence in any context of their lives, preventing and reducing gender violence are the goals of this campaign.

Silence and impunity: an obstacle to equality

Studies indicate that society’s silence and taboos on this problem have favored impunity for aggressors and stigmatization and shame for victims.

Violence, often divided into physical, sexual and psychological, encompasses intimate partner abuse, stalking, child abuse, forced marriage, human trafficking for sexual exploitation, genital mutilation and child marriage, according to the UN declaration dating from 1993.

“Violence against women continues to be an obstacle to equality, development and peace, as well as respect for human rights,” the UN said in a text this Monday regarding the date.

“The promise of the Sustainable Development Goals to leave no one behind cannot be fulfilled without first ending violence against women and girls,” he concludes.

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