The director of the National Institute of Women (Immujeres), Mónica Xavier, highlighted the urgency of improving the state’s response to cases of gender violence, after the femicide occurred recently in Mines. In his statements, Xavier stressed the importance of strengthening coordination between public and private institutions to ensure broader and more effective territorial coverage.
“We have to make sure that services, both public and private, are as interconnected as possible to reach the greatest number of people and situations,” said the hierarchy. As for the case in Mines, he stressed that, although there were no previous complaints in the couple, the aggressor had already been previously convicted of gender violence. “It is essential to work in the education of officials and the early detection of situations of violence, addressing both victims and aggressors,” he added.
Xavier also pointed out that the resources of the National Institute of Women are not enough to face the magnitude of the problem of femicides. “We cannot think that immujeres, by itself, can respond to such an extended problem,” he said, while recalling that Uruguay occupies one of the first places in Latin America and the Caribbean in terms of femicides per 100,000 inhabitants.
Finally, when asked about the possibility of modifying current legislation, the director indicated that although adjustments could be made, she considered that at this time it is not the most urgent.
