Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Buenos Aires yesterday Saturday to denounce violence against women, in the march organized every year by the movement “Ni Una Menos” (“Not one less”). This year’s mobilization took place in the wake of yet another femicide that has shocked public opinion in Argentina.

“We are the cry of those who no longer have a voice,” read one of hundreds of banners raised outside the parliament of Argentina – a country that saw 252 femicides in 2022, according to official figures.

This year the march also focused on economic inequalities against women, which discourage many victims who want to escape a violent environment.

“I spent 47 years with a husband who was violent and abusive towards me. Some women helped me escape and I managed to drive him out of the house. I’m 70 years old and I’ve been living happily for a year,” retiree Raquel Miranda told Agence France-Presse (AFP). The 70-year-old was handing out leaflets with contact details of groups that women struggling with abusive partners can go to for help. “To get out of it, you have to ask for help,” he emphasizes.

On a kiosk a little further away were posted pictures with the names of men who had been sued by their ex-partners for not paying child support. “This is also a form of violence, after the separation,” explains 36-year-old Lisa Repetto, who is raising two girls, aged 8 and 11, by herself.

Seven bullets

This year’s demonstration was held in the wake of the killing of Rocio Gonzalez, a 25-year-old woman who was shot seven times last Thursday by a fellow student.

The victim had filed two complaints of harassment by her colleague, the last one in May. As part of precautionary measures, the perpetrator had been transferred to another shift in order not to come into contact with her at work.

In 88% of femicides recorded in 2022 in Argentina, the victim knew the killer. In 59% of cases, the perpetrator was the partner (or ex-partner) of the victim, according to data from the Supreme Court.

The ‘Ni Una Menos’ movement held its first march on June 3, 2015, when hundreds of thousands of people poured into the streets after the murder of 14-year-old Chiara Paes, who was beaten to death by her 17-year-old partner for becoming pregnant and refusing to have an abortion. .

Since then, 2,282 femicides have been committed in Argentina.