Actualidad
By Paula Iudica
November 25 as "International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women" was proposed in 1981 during the First Latin American and Caribbean Feminist Meeting held in Bogotá, Colombia. This date was chosen in recognition of the Mirabal sisters, three political activist sisters who were assassinated on November 25, 1960 under the order of the dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo, in the Dominican Republic.
November 25 could also be March 3, the day Berta Cáceres, the Lenca indigenous leader, Honduran feminist and environmental activist, was murdered. It could be a July 31, remembering Elizabeth Crespo, a Bolivian feminist activist, murdered by her ex-partner. It could be May 10, the date Miriam Rodríguez was murdered, a Mexican woman who investigated on her own until she found the remains of her daughter who had been murdered. It could also be April 1, the date Micaela García disappeared in our country, her body was found several days later.
If it is about commemorating murders of women, it could be any day on the calendar, or rather they should be all of them. Only in our country, there is a femicide every 18 hours. In the world, up to 70% of women suffer some type of violence in their lives.
In 1999 the General Assembly of the United Nations established November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The UN invited governments, international organizations and non-governmental organizations to carry out activities aimed at raising society's awareness of the problem.
Could it be that the daily news on television about femicides, rapes, disappeared women and adolescents, the #NiUnaMenos marches, the National Women's Meetings that have been held for 32 years in our country, the conferences and workshops on gender violence held in institutions and universities, the articles, the investigations, the film cycles and the plays that address the subject, even the spontaneous testimonies of women on social networks about their serious experiences are not enough?
A brief review of the statistics of the 144* line from last year clearly reflects what is necessary to understand: they received a total of 312,138 calls regarding cases of gender violence. Regarding the modalities of violence, 92.6% of the cases attended during 2016 are framed as domestic violence. In 50.1% of cases, women suffer violence from their boyfriend or partner, followed by a considerable 36.8% in which the aggressors are their ex-partners. Both categories (boyfriend or partner and ex-partners) group 86.90% of calls related to cases of gender violence. "An overwhelming majority affects the female gender (99.59%), while a very low percentage (0.27%) affects the male gender" states the report. During 2016, in most cases (75.9%), the presence of children and adolescents affected by the situation of violence is mentioned. In 1.8% of cases, the woman in a situation of violence is currently pregnant. “This indicates a key risk factor that accentuates both the vulnerability of these women and the children involved.”
Having passed 36 years since that first Latin American and Caribbean feminist meeting, there are no other options than to conclude that the need to sensitize society continues to be urgent. That we must face these figures, assimilate them. Understand and admit that all around us, probably very close to us, there are women who are suffering some form of abuse. And that "raising awareness" is understanding it, and above all actively committing ourselves and contributing our bit to build a society without violence.
*Line 144 depends on the National Institute for Women, of the Ministry of Social Development of the Nation. It works 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, as part of a protection system aimed at providing a comprehensive response and immediate containment to people in situations of violence.
STATISTICAL REPORT ON LINE 144 CALLS – Assistance and Monitoring Area: http://www.cnm.gob.ar/recursos/EstadisticasLinea144_InformeAnual2016.pdf
PHONE NUMBER
(011) 4701 5890
+54 9 11 4940-7973
Monday from 13.00 to 19.00
from Tuesday to Thursday from 9.00 to 19.00 hs.
EMAIL
info@shalombait.org.ar
ADRESS
Bonpland 723, CABA, Argentina.
FACEBOOK
144 - THE WHOLE COUNTRY
Advice, guidance, information and support for women victims of violence.
137 - CITY OF BUENOS AIRES
Attention and orientation to victims of violence. It carries out home interventions with a mobile team in emergency situations and accompaniment in making complaints.
102 - CABA
Information and referrals in situations of mistreatment and sexual abuse of Girls, Boys and Adolescents.
OVD
Receive complaints of domestic violence 24 hours a day.
Address: Lavalle 1250.
PHONE NUMBER
(011) 4701 5890
+54 9 11 4940-7973
Monday from 13.00 to 19.00
from Tuesday to Thursday from 9.00 to 19.00 hs.
EMAIL
info@shalombait.org.ar
ADRESS
Bonpland 723, CABA, Argentina.
FACEBOOK
144 - THE WHOLE COUNTRY
Advice, guidance, information and support for women victims of violence.
137 - CITY OF BUENOS AIRES
Attention and orientation to victims of violence. It carries out home interventions with a mobile team in emergency situations and accompaniment in making complaints.
102 - CABA
Information and referrals in situations of mistreatment and sexual abuse of Girls, Boys and Adolescents.
OVD
Receive complaints of domestic violence 24 hours a day.
Address: Lavalle 1250.