National Congress (Photo: Pedro-Ignacio-Guridi)

The idea behind the bill is to create a new National Sexual Health and Responsible Procreation program. If passed into law, social security, health insurance providers and hospitals will cover the costs of fertility treatment for couples that can’t conceive.

This is the second time the bill has been passed back to the chamber, following modifications from the Senate. The amended text has the approval of the majority of political blocks that participated in the plenary sessions of health, family and women, general legislation, and budget finance.

One of the Senate’s alterations allows for the possibility that the Ministry of Health might have the power to train medical professionals, and to set aside a national budget for promoting the new legislation.

The project includes: access to medical aid for conception (for both heterosexual and homosexual coupes alike), and to medical procedures of varying complexity, including the donation of gametes and embryos.

Future procedures and scientific technologies that secure the backing of the Ministry of Health will also be eligible for inclusion.

Subject to approval, the Ministry of Health would then publish a list of both private and public referral centres that offer the treatment.

It is unclear how insurance providers will react, given that if the law is sanctioned, their costs will substantially increase.

Protesters campaign for therapeutic abortion rights in Managua, Nicaragua back in 2007. (Photo courtesy of Sven Hansen on flickr)

Earlier today the Nicaraguan Strategic Group for the Decriminalisation of Therapeutic Abortion protested before the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ).

The group, made up of 14 organisations which defend women’s rights, also filed an appeal demanding to know what the court had made of allegations of the ban on therapeutic abortion’s unconstitutionality when it was officially passed in 2006.

The written injunction was received by SCJ secretary, Rubén Montenegro, who limited himself to saying that he would indeed pass it on to the magistrates.

The legal director of the Nicaraguan Centre for Human Rights, (CENIDH), Gonzalo Carrión, filed the appeal on behalf of the 14 organisations involved, stating it was a shame that the magistrates had yet to respond. He went on to exclaim that the criminalisation of abortion violates law 779 which itself criminalises all forms of violence against women.

María Martha Blandón, of Ipas in Central America, a global nongovernmental organisation dedicated to ending preventable deaths and disabilities from unsafe abortion claims that young girls and adolescents often die because therapeutic abortion is not available to them. She went on to state that this particular cause of death “does not appear in official statistics because they blame the death on other things”.

Despite government claims that maternal deaths have fallen by 50% to around 60 deaths per year, Blandón says this is unverifiable since the government’s health plans are missing information.

According to the Nicaraguan Strategic Group for the Decriminalisation of Therapeutic Abortion in 2011, 1,453 girls between the ages of 9 and 14 passed through the country’s healthcare system. The actual number of young girls having children is no doubt higher, given that not all of them are able to afford medical attention.

Therapeutic abortion was permitted in Nicaragua for more than 100 years, but, in 2006, the Legislature made it illegal. This was due in part to strong pressure from the Evangelicals, the Catholic Church, and pro-life groups.

Both the United Nations Human Rights Commission and Amnesty International have advised the country to engage with women’s health issues better so as to try to avoid deaths relating to complications from pregnancy.

Bans on therapeutic abortion are no strangers to controversy. In El Salvador, the polemical case of 21-year old Beatriz is still ongoing. Beatriz suffers from the autoimmune disease lupus, and carrying the baby to term carries a high risk of death. The child in turn has been diagnosed with anencephaly, a cephalic disorder, and experts have said it is likely to die shortly after birth. Despite the above the court’s Constitutional Chamber continues to debate the case, undecided as to whether or not to grant an abortion in light of the exceptional circumstances.

Story courtesy of Agencia Pulsar.

Since 2007, Argentina has had a woman in command of the highest office in the country. That does not, however, automatically eliminate any and all problems that women further down the socioeconomic ladder face every day. The workers at non-governmental organisation Mujeres 2000 attempt to help women face these difficulties one day at a time. Founded in 2000 (hence the name), the organisation provides microfinancing services to women looking to get a steady foothold in the entrepreneurial world.

Going over proposals for works in progress to improve women’s living and business situations. (Photo courtesy of M2000)

“What we provide, what we look for is humanitarian promotion and community development, mainly for young professionals or university students,” says Milagros Gismondi, president of Mujeres 2000 since 2011. “Our mission is to promote community development and various cases. We look for cultural and economic progression.”

Mujeres 2000 began as a microcredit program in 2000 and seven years later became its own foundation. It is run primarily by volunteers and it gets its funds from private donations and subsidies from businesses. In addition to providing funds to hopeful entrepreneurs, the foundations assists students in their academic endeavors through scholarships.

Juana & Nacho, two M2000 volunteers, give a workshop on inflation to a group of female entrepreneurs in the neighbourhood San Pablo. (Photo courtesy of M2000)

The foundation also assists women who have to work from home because of parental duties. The work of Mujeres 2000 is based in the neighborhoods of Los Troncos del Talar, Virreyes, San Lorenzo, San Pablo and Bancalari.

The grants given by Mujeres 2000 are not always of extravagant value, but Gismondi has been able to see differences made by the NGO’s work, even with such small amounts.

“Obviously, it’s a job that progresses in a very step-by-step way,” she explains. “The changes aren’t obvious from one day to the next, but there are some specific cases that I’ve seen from the years 2000, 2001, 2002 where someone received a very low credit of $200 or $300 to start their first venture, a pretty small amount, but they did it and today they have four clothing stores.”

The changes in the community driven by the recipients of Mujeres 2000’s assistance is also reflected in their children .

“What I’ve also seen is many entrepreneurial women who have given a better quality of life to their children. Even more than in themselves, a transformation can be seen in their children. They serve as an example for their children, and that is where another change takes place,” Gismondi says.

Liliana Herrera presents at a conference in Uruguay about her work with M2000. (Photo courtesy of M2000)

One success story to come out of Mujeres 2000 is that of Liliana Herrera. In 2001, Herrera received a grant of $150 from Mujeres 2000 to boost her clothing business. Eleven years later, Herrera’s business had spread to five clothing booths, creating more jobs and taking care of her five children in the process. She received the “Micro-Entrepreneur Award 2010” and was invited to speak at the Regional Congress of Women Entrepreneurs conference in 2012.

“I never threw in the towel, and I never gave up,” she said at the conference. “You have to have constancy, clear objectives and dedication. Many women leave before the first failure. But I think that the failures empower you so much more.”

International Women’s Day was on 8th March, and in order to praise all those women who inspire us, The Indy is dedicating the entire month to women. Part of this celebration will take place at the Women’s Month Event on Wednesday 20th March at 7pm at the Galería Foster Catena: Honduras 4882, 1st Floor.

The event will consist of a series of presentations given simultaneously in two auditoriums in which the following subjects will be debated:

• Leading Women in Intercultural Fields

• Challenges Facing Women in Argentina Today

Yo No Fui Team

Following the presentations, our attendees will have the opportunity to socialise in an optimal networking environment at Foster Catena’s modern terrace, in which Campari will be serving drinks (Campari, Cinzano, Cynar, and Aperol Spritz) and the gallery’s sommelier will serve Ernesto Catena’s finest wine.

A percentage of the funds raised in the event will be donated to Yo No Fui, a non-profit association which works on artistic and productive projects with the female inmates at Ezeiza Prison, as well as with women who recover their freedom guiding them through their social inclusion process.

Panels:

Leading Women in the Intercultural Fields

-”¡Hola Buenos Aires!” by Joanna Richardson (2012 President UWC: University Women’s Club) In 2012, Joanna Richardson was president of the University Women’s Club, Buenos Aires, an association of English-speaking professional women. For over 20 years volunteers from the UWC have produced ‘¡Hola Buenos Aires!”’ in print for fellow women expats. Last year the UWC launched the relocation guide as an e-book aimed at the general public. Today it is available on Amazon and proceeds go to the educational NGO, APAER, to support rural schools in Argentina. Joanna is a British national who has made her life in Argentina, first in Salta and then Buenos Aires. With a degree in languages, she teaches professionals to communicate in plain English: www.plainenglish.com.ar.

-“Successful stories from women around the world who achieved an important impact on society – the intercultural Project of over 40 embassies” by Darja Zorko Mencin (President of ADEA - Association of Spouses of Diplomats Accredited in Argentina) and Barbara Rant. Their presentation will include various examples of women from different countries who have made an important contribution to society, which have inspired people to reach their potential and achieve goals which would otherwise have seemed unachievable.

-”Women: the myths and realities of the professional career path” by Mónica Mesz (Director of the Argentine-British Chamber of Commerce) The talk will give a perspective over women in the labour market and career development, based on the experience in distinct market sectors and in diverse areas and organisational levels. Mónica is an Argentine national who studied in Buenos Aires before undertaking post-graduate study in France. Her career path spans four decades in diverse sectors of the Argentina business world.

-”Intercultural Intelligence – A bridge towards ourselves” by Esther-Marie Merz (Founder of EMM: Experience Multicultural Markets) Learning to understand Argentine’s culture is directly related to understanding our own culture and where we come from. It reveals to us why we are perceiving the Argentines the way we do, and once we understand that we are one step closer in improving our intercultural intelligence. The cross-cultural coach Esther-Marie Merz will be giving you some insight into the world of intercultural communication.

Challenges Facing Women in Argentina Today

- “Small businesses, Big dreams” by Milagros Gismondi (President of Mujeres 2000). Mujeres 2000 is an NGO that has for 12 years worked with women in underprivileged situations, providing micro-financing, assessment and training to start a commercial or productive activity which allows them to gain another source of income beyond domestic activity. Milagros is an economist who has worked with the organisation since it began and has been president of the NGO since 2010.

- “The fight against people trafficking” by Luján Araujo (Press and Comunication for Fundación María de los Ángeles). The mission of the foundation is to assist victims of human trafficking and their families. It also offers training for those working in the judiciary, police services and other sectors which deal with trafficking and its victims, as well as organising awareness campaigns for society in general. Luján has been a supporter of the foundation since 2004 and been directly involved for the past year.

- “Five years of Femicide Reports in Argentina, Analysis and Challenges” by Ada Rico (President of Asociación Civil La Casa del Encuentro and Director of the Femicide Observatory ‘Adriana Marisel Zambrano’). Ada is the founder of the Casa del Encuentro, a project that is ten years old and was founded as a feminist human rights project for women and girls, particularly those in situations of gender violence. The Femicide Observatory was an undertaking of Ada and colleagues in light of the lack of official statistics on issues of gender violence, and its findings have since been used to help shape public policy in these areas.

Entry fee: $100 includes all presentations, Ernesto Catena wine tasting and Campari’s cocktails

RSVP: This is a private event, so if you want to participate, please send a mail to: events@argentinaindependent.com, so you may be on the guest list.

In 1977, the UN proclaimed 8th March as International Women’s Day to commemorate the struggle of women for their participation in society on equal terms with men. The 20th century brought with it significant changes for women: they revolutionised their role within the family and won territory in fields such as labour, science, the arts, academia, and politics.

In Argentina, women’s rise to prominence is conspicuous. With a female president, several female ministers, and one of the highest percentages of female parliamentary representation in the world, it would be easy to think that Argentine society affords women a position of privilege.

However, such achievements have been the result of decades of struggle within a deeply patriarchal society. Let us take a look at the milestones that paved the way towards the progress of women’s rights over the last century.

1947 – Female Vote

The enactment of law 13,010 in September 1947, which gave women the right to vote, frequently appears as a turning point and a substantial change in the inclusion of women in Argentina’s institutional life. The law had been pushed by Peronism during the electoral campaign and had been a recurrent topic in many of president Juan Domingo Perón’s and his wife’s speeches. It was Eva Perón, ‘Evita’, who specially insisted on the speedy enactment of this law, which became one of her primary objectives.

1949 – Eva Perón and the Female Peronist Party

Eva Perón delivering a speech in Casa Rosada.

Throughout Argentine history, there has been unanimous acknowledgement of the fact that Evita made ​​of the recognition of equal civil and political rights between men and women a critical cause. Her charisma and leadership introduced ​​Argentine women to the public sphere in a way that was unheard of before her.

After obtaining the female vote in 1947, Evita understood that the law on its own would not ensure the presence of women among the candidates in the following elections. For that reason, in 1949, together with a group of politically active women, Evita found the Partido Peronista Femenino (Female Peronist Party, or PPF). According to its general regulations, the PPF was intimately linked to the Peronist movement, but was autonomous from the original Peronist party formed by men.

Even though Evita did not match the political profile of the groundbreaking feminists of the time, her figure symbolised the achievement of the rights for which they had been fighting for decades. Women finally made their first appearance in the public sphere. However, the Peronist dogma also guarded the secular ideal of maternal and homely women, unable to dismantle the patriarchal stereotype that essentially divided the housewives from the political activists.

Marta Minujín in a 1966 happening which consisted in her throwing ice cream at the Obelisk and then others licking it. (Photo from Revista Panorama, 1967)

1960s – Sexual and Artistic Revolution

From the taking over of factories and universities to the sexual revolution and the hippie movement, the political rebellion took a broader meaning when the search of alternative family values and new forms of expression for women arose. Women’s clothing were a true reflection of such changes, as new ‘unisex’ clothes and miniskirts became a ubiquitous symbol of a sexuality freed from many of its rituals and taboos. 

During the ‘60s, the Torcuato Di Tella Institute brought together all the artistic avant-garde trends in Buenos Aires and harboured controversial female artists who were getting noticed in the local scene. Under the influence of pop art, Marta Minujín, Dalila Puzzovio, Mary Tapia, and other artists articulated visual arts with fashion and design linked to the body and daily life. 

1977 – International Women’s Day

The government of Maria Estela Martinez de Perón officially adhered to the International Women’s Day proclaimed by the United Nations.

1985 – Joint Parental Custody

In Argentina, joint custody had been established in 1949 by that year’s constitutional amendment. The repeal of this amendment by the military dictatorship in 1956 restored the inequality between women and men for several decades. In 1974, Congress re-established joint custody, but president Maria Estela Martinez de Perón vetoed the bill. The influential conservatives in Argentina argued that the family unit required that one of the parents had “the last word”, and that for cultural and traditional reasons this power should be attributed by law to the man.

In 1985, during the democratic government of Raúl Alfonsín, joint custody, a right claimed by women for years, was restored through law 23,234.

1987 – Divorce

In the midst of protests by powerful Catholic sectors, on 3rd June 1987 Congress voted for what went down in history as the “divorce law”. The very foundations of the Argentine state are rooted in the family model as defined by the Catholic paradigm, which devoted greater powers to the man over the family and imposed limits on women’s decision-making.

The law also attacked some forms of discrimination that limited women, who obtained, among other rights, equal conditions and the possibility to choose whether or not to use their husband’s surnames.

1991 – Quota Law

The quota law, adopted on 6th November 1991, established a minimum 30% female participation in the lists of candidates for legislative elections. Thus, Argentina became the first country in the region to implement a quota system to ensure the participation of women in national politics: for every two men, one woman.

1994 – A New Constitution, A New Step Forward

The constitutional reform of 1994 signified an important breakthrough in the recognition of women’s rights. The Constituent Assembly embodied in the new constitution the accomplishments so far consummated by women, and provided them with a legal framework and constitutional status. From the female vote, the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Quota Law, the law on Protection against Family Violence, to the Program “Victims against Violence” and the creation of the Office of Domestic Violence in the Supreme Court, the State began to return women their rights, complying with international human rights treaties.

2008 – The Battle Against Human Trafficking

Ministry of Security Nilda Garré in a meeting with Susana Trimarco, Marita Veron’s mother. (Photo courtesy of Ministerio de Seguridad)

On 29th April 2008, Argentina adhered to the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially women and children through the enactment of Law 26,364 on the Prevention and Punishment of Trafficking in Persons and Victims’ Assistance.

The acquittal of those accused in the case of the abduction and disappearance of Marita Verón in 2012, sparked public outrage and accelerated the amendment of the law, which deepened the mechanisms to fight human trafficking. This amendment, which was passed unanimously, includes stiffer penalties for those found guilty of trafficking and an expansion of victims’ rights.

The fight against human trafficking in Argentina recorded in 2012 a total of 690 victims rescued from sexual exploitation networks and other 432 from labour exploitation such as clandestine textile workshops.

2009 – Fighting Violence Against Women

In April 2009, Law 26,485 on Violence Against Women was enacted.

The law recognises that violence against women and girls stems from discrimination, and proposes fundamental changes in the education system, both in curricula and in textbooks, teacher training, and the inclusion of a gender perspective in the training of the armed and security forces. Moreover, it provides the victims of this kind of violence with economic, physical, and psychological support.

2013 – Today’s Public Women

Argentine women are beginning to occupy a prominent place in the public sphere, more specifically in the artistic and the political fields. Today, women hold 38% of the seats in parliament, a number that turns the Argentine Congress into one of the parliaments with the greatest female presence in the region. In fact, according to the UN, the Argentine parliament is among the top five with the highest proportion of women in the world, ahead of most European countries.

Minister Débora Giorgi, one of the three women in the Excecutive Power, visiting Tecnópolis in 2011. (Photo courtesy of Tecnópolis)

At the executive level, as well as President Cristina Fernández, three women hold key ministries: the Minister of Social Development Alicia Kirchner, Minister of Security Nilda Garré, and Minister of Industry Débora Giorgi. There are also two female governors, Tierra del Fuego’s Fabiana Rios, and Catamarca’s Lucía Corpacci.

As for the feminist movement in Argentina, its groups have recognised that linking up with the state by adopting a position of greater openness undoubtedly increases the opportunities to be a part of the discussion and analysis of public policies. However, some consider that by having entered in the official agenda, the movement lost its strength and left the door open to the relativisation of several certainties of the past.

There is no doubt in that Argentina has come a long way in the fight against women’s discrimination and its unjust, and many times inhumane, manifestations. Over the last decades and under major social pressure, Argentine legislation began to tackle the issues of social and political inequality between men and women and to assist victims of femicide.

Unfortunately, sexual inequality persists in the social margins, entrenched in poverty, immigration discrimination, domestic violence, etc. There is still disparity between the formal achievements and the actual practices. International Women’s Day is not meant to congratulate ourselves for the accomplishments other women have attained before us, but to remind us that the eradication of fear and the transformation of patriarchal habits and attitudes are still goals to achieve.

Argentina’s Senate is set to work on a new law to increase the penalties for homicides resulting from “gender hatred,” after Congress voted in favour of it last night.

With 203 votes for, zero votes against and one abstention, the Lower House voted in favour of a bill to amend the penal code, imposing “life imprisonment or confinement” on those who murder from gender hatred.

The Argentine news outlet Parlamentario reports that when the bill passes into law, there will be increased penalties for deaths resulting from domestic violence, femicide or where sexual orientation was a reason.

The initiative was welcomed by all parties, who agreed it is an important step in combating gender violence.

At the beginning of the debate in Congress, Committee of Criminal Law chairperson Oscar Albrieu said the issue “is not new, coming from the background of history” and clarified that what “is new is the theorizing has been done [on it] as an extreme form of violence, which has had the effect of making it visible.”

“The question must be solved by the State, as we are doing, because it finds its roots in social, cultural and sometimes even economic causes,” he added, according to Argentina’s Minuto Uno.

The law will amend the Penal Code’s Article 80, Subsections 1 and 4.

The new Subsection 1 raises the penalty to “life imprisonment or confinement,” for anyone who “kills an ascendant, descendant, spouse, former spouse or a person with whom she/he maintains, has maintained, or has unsuccessfully tried to start a relationship.”

Subsection 4 defines femicide as “a crime for a woman when the act is perpetrated by a man because of gender violence.”

The subsection also considers a life sentence for those who murder for, “pleasure, greed, hatred, racial, religious, gender or sexual orientation, gender identity or its expression.”

According to the National Supreme Court of Justice of Domestic Violence, there were 657 cases of domestic violence reported in Argentina in 2010, an increase of 75% on the previous year.

Amid much discussion about the Supreme Court’s recent landmark decision on abortion rights for victims of rape, Corrientes Health Minister Julián Dindart ignited controversy today with comments on early age pregnancies.

The health minister spoke about the subject today on Radio Dos, suggesting that pregnancy at a young age can present enticements to young women from an economic standpoint.

“Some girls become pregnant because they have an economic resource as a reward, but there are several reasons,” Dindart said.

Social groups reacted fiercely to Dindart’s comments in part because they surrounded a discussion about two cases of girls, aged 10 and 12, who were treated for advanced pregnancies.

The health minister discussed high levels of early pregnancy in Corrientes and pointed out that the numbers were also relatively high around the country.  He argued today that programs such as the Universal Child Allowance have advantages that may be a national pattern.

The head of the women’s movement “Juana Azurduy”, Carolina Gonzalez, described Dindart’s comments as “terrible and despicable,” asking him to stop “insulting women and young girls who have been abused.

Dindart also said that he disagrees with the decision of the Supreme Court, which set a new precedent based on the case of a girl who had been abused by her stepfather.

“I do not share that decision because it leaves open a very large door to lying,” Dindart said.

Indigenous workers and African descendants in Honduras have launched an initiative with Vía Campesina to secure women’s access to land and strengthen their rights in the country.

With International Women’s Day as their platform, at least 100 indigenous workers and peasants of African descent marched in the capital of Tegucigalpa last Thursday.

The primary demands of the new campaign are access to land tenancy among rural workers and a new legal framework regarding gender.

“We, women, need land,” said Leoncia Solórzano, spokesperson for Thursday’s protest. “We don’t have access to it because the Honduran legislation has always tried to make us invisible, as if women didn’t exist in Honduras.”

In front of the building of the National Agrarian Institute (INA), protesters denounced evictions faced by rural communities and called for a new, comprehensive agrarian reform law, with 15% of the national budget allocated to a trust.

Participating women also held a special event at the doors of the INA, demanding the cessation of violence against women and punishment for their attackers.

Continuing their push for further rights, the women of Vía Campesina Central America plan to expand their campaign throughout the region.

The Argentine Forensic Anthropologist Team (EAAF), a civil organisation that has assisted with victim identification for massacres in several countries, has spoken out about its work on disappeared women in Ciudad Juarez.

The EAAF, originally hired to conduct research in 2005, has been working to match the remains of missing women with collected DNA samples from more than 195 people who have reported the disappearance of relatives as far back as 1993.

In response to the recent discovery of 50 unidentified remains that have been stored at a local morgue for more than a year, the EAAF has addressed the political failures to stem the chronic problem of disappearing women in Ciudad Juarez.

In a report published in 2010, a special prosecutor in Ciudad Juarez listed 379 women murdered and 4,456 missing between 1993 and 2005. Figures from NGOs in the area, as well as from the EAAF, suggest that these numbers are in fact higher.

“It was not an easy job,” said Sofía Egaña, member of the EAAF, whose future in the area is now uncertain after two years of escalating disputes with the city government.

In many cases, investigations have been complicated by incomplete court records and physical remains, or delays in processing bodies stored indefinitely in morgues.

“It seems that they have not spent these years pursuing claims,” Egaña said. “There is an alarming lack of institutional memory.”

In particular, the Office of Chihuahua, which originally hired the EAAF in 2005, claims the civil organisation did not provide a full forensic report of its investigation in 2011. The office also says it does not know why the 50 bodies in question have remained in a morgue for this length of time.

The EAAF denies the office’s claim about its reports, citing one for each of the past two years, and has countered by pointing out that the persistence of the underlying problem remains as though time has stopped.

“Again mothers are protesting, and again there is a demand as if nothing happened in the past,” Egaña said. “Yes, there was an effort.”

Local civil organisations say that in the first two months of this year, at least 26 women have been reported missing in Ciudad Juarez.

Argentine NGO La Casa del Encuentro released a study this week showing that 282 women died in 2011 as victims of domestic violence, dubbed ‘femicide’. The figure represents a 10% growth since the previous year, and tallies to one woman murdered every 31 hours.

As a result of these deaths, 346 children were left without their mothers. From the 282 women, 32 were between the ages of 15 and 21. Six out of ten murders were perpetrated by their own husbands, boyfriends or former partners.

The figures studied by the organisation, however, reveal only the cases that have been publicly reported in 120 national newspapers, and could be higher.

The Office for Female Victim Assistance, part of the Buenos Aires city government, reflects this grim reality, with the number of women seeking assistance doubling over the course of the year, to nearly 7,000 cases.

According to a survey by the Supreme Court, 50% of intentional homicides of women took place within the home, whereas only 27% were the result of robberies, thus making the streets safer than homes for women.