In commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and under the slogan “No more violence against women. State priority, citizen responsibility”, President Luis Lacalle Pou and other government officials participated.
On the occasion, the advances and challenges of the national plan “For a Life Free of Violence 2022-2024” were presented, to provide care responses and access to justice, in order to prevent, confront and reduce violence and repair its effects. , by guaranteeing the right of women, children and adolescents to a life free of it.
The head of Inmujeres, Mónica Bottero, according to the Presidential Communication, highlighted the plan in which the campaign “Dating free from violence” is framed to raise awareness and the 0800 4141 service to respond to the victims.
The president was accompanied, this Friday the 25th in the Executive Tower, by the Secretary of the Presidency, Álvaro Delgado; the Minister of Labor, Pablo Mieres; that of Social Development, Marín Lema and the Minister of Housing, Irene Moreira.
The activity was also attended by the president of the National Public Education Administration (ANEP), Robert Silva; the national director of Gender Policies of the Ministry of the Interior, Angelina Ferreira, and the director of the National Institute for Women (Inmujeres), Mónica Bottero, among other authorities.
Bottero warned that in Uruguay almost 8 out of 10 women experienced some situation of this type at some point in their lives, which represents about 1,100,000 people aged 15 and over.
He specified that in 2018 there were 30 femicides; in 2019, 25; in 2020, 20; in 2021, 25, and this year, until November 20, there are 25. The hierarch pointed out the strong commitment of the Government to reduce those figures and added that there is no escalation of this crime.
Throughout the year, the “#1MinutodeVos” campaign was presented, with a spot about the 0800 4141 telephone service, to raise awareness about gender violence, which is available 24 hours a year and received 8,248 calls between January and September 2022. Bottero remarked that the care services for women in situations of violence attended 18,223 people in the aforementioned period.
He also pointed out that, for the first time, there is a project with the support of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to include this subject in the curriculum.
On the occasion, he highlighted that, in seven years, more than 90,000 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15 participated in the “Dating Free of Violence” campaign. He also indicated that the number of departments where psychological care is provided to men with electronic anklets has increased, from 12 to 15, and that efforts are being made to generate responses in cases of digital and political violence.
Robert Silva, meanwhile, highlighted the role of education in the matter and mentioned the coordinated actions between government entities and civil society, with the example of the aforementioned campaign, in which representatives of the educational community participate. In addition, he specified that the protection of rights was implemented for the first time in the national curricular framework.
Ferreira spoke about the professional training of all officials who work in police stations specialized in domestic and gender violence and the inter-institutional strengthening of the Ministry of the Interior in policies of this type.
The director highlighted the role of the electronic monitoring program (anklets) in the protection of victims and announced that statistical data on domestic and gender violence will be presented on November 29.
