Lorena Sotelo (Photo: Lisa Modiano)

Flipping through the pages of stories and faces in ‘Mujeres Argentinas’, I randomly stop and read through one woman’s story. I am immediately shocked by what she has achieved and how she has dedicated her life to helping underprivileged children in the villas, in spite of her background and the obstacles so often put up in front of her.

This is the story of Lorena Sotelo, which, on first account, reads like a rags-to-heroine Hollywood film script. Yet, two days later, she is recounting to me in person, the gritty reality of how being fed up of government corruption, she decided to build her own nursery school. Despite having virtually no money, no support, and needing to fight against local drug gangs, the nursery school of Las Travesuras stands today.

Describing itself as a book of “lives, portraits, moments”, ‘Mujeres Argentinas’ profiles 17 women who, like Lorena, have achieved extraordinary things despite the challenges of being female. Split into three parts, and written in both English and Spanish, the book reads as part interview, part story, and part documentary.

“We chose women who inspired us in some way,” explains photo editor Annie-France Charbonneau. From fashion designer Maria Cherñajovsky, to karate teacher Marina Regules, the first section introduces a diverse set of women, not selected for their success, money or power, but for the extraordinary things they have achieved.

Nicole Dunway at the press release panel discussion (Photo: Beatrice Murch)

Creator of the book, Nicole Dunaway, explained how after her earlier project ‘Argentina: Through the Eyes of 25 Women’, it felt natural to make another book about women. “These are real stories. Some might be funny, some might be moving,” she says.

The second section shows a collection of photographs of Argentine women going about their everyday life. This part, as Nicole describes, “is to present the book more like a documentary.” The images give the book an active energy, breaking up an otherwise heavy narrative.

The third part comprises of nine ‘moments’ – small narratives exploring the collision of two female worlds – that of the Argentine and the foreigner. Narrated by the foreigner, these tales observe and recount events and emotions of personal encounters with Argentine women.

The theme of the book, dedicated to the challenges and successes of Argentine women, fits perfectly with its release close to this year’s International Women’s Day – a day created to recognise the achievements of women, whilst at the same time serving as a reminder that changes are still needed for equality.

Equally dedicated to acknowledging “the contribution of women to the strengthening of international peace and security,” the day is partly a party and partly a protest – two things Argentines love to do.

When Nicole Dunaway describes film director and novelist Lucía Puenzo, just one of the women featured in the book, she could well be talking about the book itself. “She deals with subjects that are disturbing and controversial,” she says. “They provoke us in the most meaningful sense of the word – by forcing us to question our beliefs and to re-examine the world around us.”

Cover of 'Mujeres Argentinas'

Susana Trimarco’s story of how, after her daughter was kidnapped and sold into sex slavery, she has gone on to free over 200 girls from trafficking and succeeded in implementing anti-trafficking laws, is both disturbing and inspiring. She’s practically a perfect poster for Women’s Day – the issue of exploitation, being fought by the strength and determination of one woman.

Despite the gritty content, the tone of the book remains quite feminine. Unless very attuned to his female side, a man might find the writing and the stories all a bit sickly sweet, as the book unashamedly channels its womanly flair. And why not, it’s about women, for women after all.

Yet, there is more substance to the project, as shown by the multiple themes that run throughout it. Obvious themes can be guessed by simply reading the title – themes of femininity, women in Argentina, women making their way in a society that is still quite dominantly male.

But there are other themes too: themes of a society still struggling with unacceptable poverty and social problems, themes of mixed Argentine identity, and themes of people overcoming all this to try and make a difference in their lives.

You don’t have to be a woman to understand or enjoy reading this book. It’s a unique insight into a culture and country that, as the book points out, is sometimes hard for an outsider to access.

Proceeds from the book are all donated to the charities mentioned inside, so if you feel, as I did, inspired to contribute something to a cause that matters, just picking up a copy of the book you’re already on your way.

Political parties and civic organizations of Valparaiso, Chile, claimed that they want to create better conditions concerning equality for women. It was in commemoration of the International Women’s Day, last Tuesday 8th March.

The activities and protests of social organizations were contrasting with the nature of the festive celebrations organized by the government or local municipalities.

Feminists from different groups and human rights organizations, unions and students were marching from the Plaza del Pueblo in Valparaiso.

They raised slogans and demands for sexual and reproductive rights, employment status and the right to a life without violence for women.

They expressed demands with a strong anti-establishment and a lot of criticism regarding recent governments.

The march culminated with a political and cultural happening in the Plaza Aníbal Pinto. Here, women and attendees stated that this struggle will transcend time, governments and daily ideologies.

These screamings were aimed at the political organization and the permanent mobilisation.

Story courtesy of Agencia Púlsar, the news agency of AMARC-ALC

Yesterday the Superior Court of Chubut unanimously endorsed the request for a 15-year-old victim of rape from Comodoro Rivadavia to terminate her pregnancy. The ruling reversed the decision of Appellate Court that refused the request in February. Symbolically, yesterday was International Women’s Day.

It is claimed that the young girl was raped by her stepfather. The ruling is the first time that a provincial court has applied the broad interpretation of the abortion law in Argentina. The law states that a pregnancy can be terminated if the life or health of a pregnant woman is at risk and if the pregnancy was the result of rape or the sexual abuse of a woman with mental disabilities. This ruling reaffirms the interpretation of the law that any woman with a pregnancy resulting from rape has the right to a termination and not just those with a mental disability, as claimed by some conservative groups in Argentina.

The law states that a doctor does not have to seek judicial approval to carry out an abortion in Argentina if they believe the pregnancy is the result of a rape, the woman is mentally disabled or is there is a risk to the woman’s life or health. However, Amnesty International claims that doctors do not know how to act so refer cases to the courts. This causes a delay and in some cases mean that a decision is reached too late in the pregnancy for a termination to be carried out.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch made a joint statement yesterday concerning a number of pregnancy cases in Argentina resulting from a rape, “It wasn’t necessary for any of these cases to go to court: the law clearly allows doctors to assess the potential threat to the psychological and physical health of a rape patient and perform an abortion without fear of prosecution.”

When the original request for a termination was denied in February, the Bishop of the Diocese of Comodoro Rivadavia, Virginio Bressanelli said that the Church “does not engage in polemics” but, added that “We are talking about applying the law to a human life and a person. That is the value we want to defend.”

The mother of the young girl from Comodoro Rivadavia commented that the ruling “was excellent”. She had pursued authorisation for an abortion in a public hospital, not privately, because they need to safeguard genetic material in order to pursue the rape case in the courts.

Marianne Mollmann of Human Rights Watch and Guadalupe Marengo of Amnesty International said “Today, on International Women’s Day, we urge the Argentine authorities to commit themselves unequivocally to ensuring the right of women to decide freely and responsibly on issues of their sexual and reproductive health.”