The Chamber of Deputies will meet today to review the draft of the anti-discriminatory bill, which has been criticised by social organisations as incomplete and exclusionary.

The anti-discriminatory bill entered parliament in 2005 and has since been stalled in the Senate. The House finally approved the bill in November last year but with significant modifications.

The government and parliamentarians of the ruling coalition have both endorsed the Senate’s amendments.

Pressure has mounted for legislative reforms in the wake of the death of Daniel Zamudio, 24, last week. Zamudio was savagely attacked on the grounds of his sexual orientation by an alleged group of neo-Nazis.

The draft bill now includes penalties for those who discriminate on the grounds of sexual orientation.

The Gay Liberation Movement (MOVILH) stated that while urgent legislation is needed to prevent discriminatory acts in Chile, refining its content remains a priority.

“Our efforts will concentrate not only on accelerating the proceedings, but especially on the improvements of the bill, so that it meets the proposals that gave rise to the 2005 text.”

The president of the group, Roland Jiménez, called the current legislation a “legal mess.”

MOVILH and other social organisations have emphasised that it is the responsibility of the state to develop public policies that guarantee the rights and freedoms of individuals. They added that the legislation in question should address prevention and not just criminalisation.