Feminicides in Peru: 26 hate crimes against women were recorded in January and February alone

Violence against women continues to grow month by month, femicides in Peru continue to alarm and in these 2 months since the beginning of 2022, 26 hate crimes have already been recorded; where 80.7% of femicides were their partners or former partners of the victim.

Infobae Peru spoke with Lisbeth Guillén Chávez, feminist, coordinator of the Power and Politics program of the Manuela Ramos Movement and Spokesperson for the We Are Half Campaign, We Want Parity Without Harassment. The specialist in women's rights, political rights, gender and public policies, warns us about these cases that women face and that machismo is still deeply rooted in our society.

“According to information from the Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations (MIMP), as of February 2022, 26 femicides were registered (18 in January and 08 in February), in 80.7% the femicides were partners or ex-partners of the victims. Consideration should also be given to the connection between the disappearance of women, girls and adolescents with femicide, in January 2022, 2 of the victims prior to the event had been reported missing. The year 2021 culminated in 146 victims of femicide, in 52% of cases, femicides were partners or ex-partners of the victim,” he said.

Given this, he argued that in Peru there is a route of care that is not entirely known or in the absence of immediate institutional response, victims do not resort to services.

In addition, he specified that at the national level there are more than 400 Women's Emergency Centers (CEM) for the care of victims of violence, these services are gradually recovering face-to-face care that during the phase of strict confinement (2020) due to the COVID 19 pandemic, suspended face-to-face care and only Line 100 was present for the attention of cases.

“In Peru, of the total number of women victims of violence, only 29% seek institutional help and do so mostly in the Police Stations, which are responsible for registering complaints. Since 2015, special legislation has been in place to prevent, punish and eradicate violence against women and members of the family group (Law 30364), aligned with the Convention of Belém Do Pará, which clearly differentiates violence against women from violence against members of the family group and establishes principles and approaches to the care of victims”, he said.

“It is a pending challenge for service managers to internalize principles and approaches for the care of victims of violence with due diligence, non-revictimization and non-discrimination. The State needs to intensify the training of service operators and, on the other hand, women must continue to be strengthened in the knowledge and exercise of their right to life free from violence and reduce women's legal poverty with regard to the right to have rights,” he added.

In this sense, and as explained above, machismo is still very valid in our society, given this, the specialist stated that education for minors with a gender perspective and comprehensive sex education is necessary at all levels and forms of the national education system.

“The violence prevention strategy, approved by the Ministry of Women in 2021, considers equality education from early childhood to prevent violence against women in their diversity and to eradicate discriminatory and racist stereotypes and practices in interpersonal relationships,” he said.

Lisbeth Guillén Chavez also emphasized in our context that it is necessary to continue implementing measures from the government to stop these cases of violence and abuse against women.

“Through the articulations of organizations, advocacy is made for the allocation of the public budget for the implementation of the National Policy on Gender Equality, which among its priority objectives is the reduction of gender-based violence and the modification and eradication of practices and stereotypes that discriminate against women. As well as compliance with the Law on Consultation for the conduct of activities in the territories of indigenous peoples whose leaders are criminalized for raising their voice in defense of their individual and collective rights,” he said.

SPACE TO MAKE CASES OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN VISIBLE

It is worth mentioning that the organizations CMP Flora Tristán, Movimiento Manuela Ramos, DEMUS and ONAMIAP, with the support of CUSO International and the Government of Canada, launched on March 21 a website called “The agenda that unites us”, which is a space to make visible multiple violence experienced by women.

Among the multiple violence that seeks to make visible and draw attention to their attention, are: structural violence, patriarchal-macho violence, extractivist violence, racist, institutional, physical, psychological, sexual, economic violence, harassment against women in political life.

“The campaign website also includes a section that invites action against multiple violence, it is about telling stories of women who have been victims of violence or who have overcome this situation, to broaden understanding of multiple violence and to act”, concluded the specialist.

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