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Venezuelans March to End Violence Against Women

Venezuelans rallied to demand the state take decisive action against femicide on International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
The Maduro government held a massive march for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
The Maduro government held a massive march for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

Caracas, November 27, 2019 (venezuelanalysis.com) – Venezuelans took to the streets of Caracas Monday to commemorate International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.  The Maduro government held a massive rally in front of the National Constituent Assembly in support of a second reform to the Organic Law of the Right of Women to a Life Free of Violence. The law is recognized internationally as one of the most progressive in the world, penalizing 21 different types of violence against women.

However, critics contend that the law suffers from legal loopholes, which, combined with conservative bureaucratic resistance, have limited its effective implementation. The first reform was made in 2014 to include femicide and induced suicide among the classifications of violence. Present at the rally, Women and Gender Equality Minister Asia Villegas formally called on the National Constituent Assembly to consult with popular movements to create proposals for necessary reforms to be presented and approved in the ANC before March 8.

Revolutionary social movements and feminist organizations also held a small, but colorful and combative march to the Supreme Court, highlighting the more than 134  femicides which have occurred since January 2019 with the slogans “We are not all here, 134 are missing” and “Justice for all women.” Their demands included the accelerated litigation of cases of femicide which remain unresolved with the purported aggressors still at large. The call was also made for reform of bodies responsible for receiving complaints of violence against women as well as the official investigation and publication of statistics concerning all types of gender violence as a vital tool for identifying the source of the problem and ensuring prevention.

The march was received by Supreme Court President Maikel Moreno, who agreed to create a permanent working group with social movements and feminist organizations to review and expedite unresolved cases of femicide as well as identify and prosecute judicial and security officials involved in abuses and corruption in cases of femicide. March 8 has also been set as a deadline for the public presentation of progress made in the unresolved cases.

Photos by Ketsy Carola, Candi Moncada, Tinta Violeta, Venezolanos Inquilinos and Ministry of Women