Tania Sanchez

From the diverse and plural movements of women and feminists, a constant has been the demand to live without violence, which has different manifestations: from verbal harassment, economic violence, to physical, psychological and sexual abuse, which in many cases are naturalized in the family, institutions and society in general, reaching its most cruel and stark expression: femicide. The Integral Law to guarantee women a life free of violence (No. 348) defines femicide as the action of extreme violence that violates the fundamental right to life and causes the death of women because they are women. In other words, it is the intentional murder of a woman just because she is a woman, regardless of age, socioeconomic status, education, among others. Normally, not always, this fact is exercised by the current or former partner, or male members of the family, and in numerous cases exercised abuse, threats, intimidation, sexual violence or economic asphyxiation previously.

Multiple voices have been calling for a halt to feminicide and male violence, and in this task, to identify what the causes are, where to attack, we have shown that the laws are insufficient, violence does not end by decree. We observe that violence is the strongest expression of patriarchy and this is expressed mainly in the bodies of women; this is the object of struggle, because there is still a high percentage of the population that perceives women as objects without the right to decide about their bodies, their sexuality, about what to do with the resources they earn, how to dispose of their time, whether to continue studying or be able to work, we are perceived as property.

The struggle of women’s movements in Bolivia and the expressed political will have contributed to the normative framework favourable to women’s rights and this has had an effect on daily life; more women are in the workplace, have entered non-traditional activities, finish their studies in less time than men, more and more make their voices heard, do not remain silent, participate in development. It is no longer possible to think of a country without women and their contribution in the political, economic and cultural spheres; in short, in all spheres of development. But this makes us uncomfortable and generates resistance, because although the laws have advanced, not all of society has done so at the same pace.

Source: Based on data from ECLAC 2018.

The main triggers in cases of femicide are related to economic independence and/or the demand for family pensions, jealousy, the separation or breakdown of the relationship, which in no way justifies the death of a woman. And the most affected are the surviving children, who lose their murdered mother and imprisoned father, having to leave their home and adapt to institutions or extended family, where they do not necessarily develop all their affective capacities.

According to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Bolivia has the highest rate of feminicide in Latin America, two women per 100,000 inhabitants; and most worrying, the form and cruelty of these. It has also increased since the year of enactment of the law.

As a government, we could not ignore this problem, so the fight against feminicide is declared a national priority and a firm decision is taken to strengthen actions aimed at eliminating violence against women. The Plan of Action against Feminicide and Machista Violence, approved by the Cabinet of Fight against Violence against Women, Children and Adolescents, headed by President Evo Morales, on July 15, is expressed in a Decalogue with 26 specific actions, called on all State bodies to join the “Pact to Live a Life without Violence”, which concentrates its activities on the prevention and denaturalization of male violence, a task assumed by all Government bodies and to which several organizations, the media, territorial governments and ordinary people have already joined; To date, progress has been made in several actions of each pact.

BOLIVIA: NUMBER OF FEMINICIDES BY DEPARTMENT AND YEAR

Source Based on data provided by the Office of the Attorney General of the State, preliminary data as of August 12, 2019.

Within the framework of Covenant 1, Decree No. 4012 has been promulgated, increasing the percentage of resources from the Direct Tax on Hydrocarbons (IDH) earmarked for Governorates and Municipalities for the prevention, care and punishment of violence against women, which will double the budget allocated by these bodies to the Force to Combat Violence against Women. In the framework of Covenant 2, the Ministry of Education, through resolution 0854/2019, establishes that educational communities will hold prevention days with recreational and reflective activities on the 25th of each month, with the participation of students, mothers, fathers, teachers, with the aim of denaturing violence and eradicating practices of gender role assignment.

Under Pact 3, an inter-agency commission has been set up by all the institutions that are part of the justice system to resolve at least 80 per cent of cases of feminicide and to give priority to resolving cases of sexual violence against children and adolescents.

Under Covenant 5, Decree No. 3981 instructs State public servants, including the Bolivian police, the armed forces and personnel of public enterprises, to receive training in the prevention of violence with a rights-based, gender-based, depatriarchal and male approach. The course began on 19 August with the aim of having a positive impact on the elimination of violence against women.

This type of action calls on society as a whole to face the fight against violence against women and to deconstruct its patriarchal roots.

Tania Sánchez Director of the Plurinational Service for Women and Depatriarchalisation