Rape Case Sparks Protests Across Argentina

“¡Perdón Lucía, y Por Todas Las Lucías!” read signs carried by thousands of Argentinean women on October 19 as the protests against gender violence spread across the country in response to the brutal rape and murder of 16-year-old Lucía Pérez. Lucía Pérez was kidnapped from her school and subjected to horrific conditions that led to her death, serving as yet another example of continued violence against women in Argentina despite President Macri’s measures to counteract such cases. The murder of a 14-year-old girl in May of 2015 sparked a separate wave of protests across the country.

Lucía’s family recently spoke about the incident—an act that subjected the family to numerous death threats and caused them to fear for their safety, according to an open letter by Lucía’s brother Matías.

Eighty Argentine cities held demonstrations on “Black Wednesday” to raise awareness for violence against women and femicide. An online movement has also coalesced around #NiUnaMenos, meaning “not one less,” a campaign that denounces the danger that violence poses to all women in the country and throughout the world. #NiUnaMenos continues to spread to other countries in the region with protests taking place throughout South America.

President Macri has outlined a variety of solutions to the tragedy that have yet to be implemented, including increased monitoring of violent men, the creation of women’s refuges and shelters, and increased penalties for gender-based hate crimes. The suggestions aim to reduce violence in a country where one woman is killed in a domestic violence case every 36 hours.

Similar laws have been implemented in a number of Latin American nations. However, critics argue that they are not being effectively implemented. Latin America is the region of the world with the highest rate of female murders, and the cultures in the area are often criticized for its concept of “machismo,” a sense of manliness that many believe leads to increased rates of gendered violence in the region.

While Argentina plans to introduce new programs to reduce the violence faced by women in the nation, the existence of cases like Lucía’s and other Argentine girls prove that gendered violence is still a pervasive issue throughout the world.