Edgard Garrido / Reuters Activists take part in a march to protest violence against women and the murder of a 16-year-old girl in Argentina last week, at Reforma avenue in Mexico City, Mexico, October 19, 2016.

BUENOS AIRES, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of women across Argentina protested gender-related violence on Wednesday after the rape and murder of a 16-year-old girl in a coastal town last week.

The group known as Not One Less organized the protests, which were also held in other Latin American countries, and expressed outrage over the death of Lucia Perez as Argentina confronts a scourge of drug-related violence.

Recent polls show security has replaced inflation as the top concern for Argentines, and Perez’s case has spurred particular outrage.

NurPhoto via Getty Images Thousands of women set to protest in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 19 October 2016.

Prosecutor Maria Isabel Sanchez told reporters last week that Perez was drugged with cocaine and had suffered “inhumane sexual aggression” that triggered cardiac arrest.

“They washed her body and dressed her to make it look like an overdose,” she said.

Two men known for selling drugs outside a school were detained in Mar del Plata on Sunday and charged with rape and homicide.

NurPhoto via Getty Images The protest called "MiércolesNegro" (Black Wednesday) was prompted by the abduction of Lucía Pérez, a schoolgirl who was drugged, raped and tortured earlier this month.

A woman is killed once every 30 hours in Argentina, according to Permanent Assembly for Human Rights, an Argentine non-profit group.

“I want to feel safe when I’m walking down the street, the same as men can,” marcher Victoria Vazquez told Reuters. “I want to be able to wear a skirt in the summertime without anybody bothering me.”

NurPhoto via Getty Images Women take part in a protest in Sao Paulo, Brazil - where protesters held a one-hour 'women's strike'- on October 19, 2016.

President Mauricio Macri’s government has announced a new offensive against drug traffickers, sending federal troops to reinforce hot zones such as the port city of Rosario and Buenos Aires province, where Mar del Plata is located.

On Friday police found a threatening note aimed at Maria Eugenia Vidal, the popular governor of Buenos Aires province and Macri ally, in a burned down courthouse.

NurPhoto via Getty Images Women carrying torches during a march in Santiago, Chile to protest against femicide and gender violence.

The Not One Less movement, which advocates for crime prevention and justice for victims of sexual assault, led a one-hour pause from work and study early in the afternoon. Protesters dressed in mourning for what became known as Black Wednesday.

Thousands of women then braved a rainy afternoon in Buenos Aires to march towards the historic Plaza de Mayo with signs supporting Perez and demanding an end to all violence against women.