Women spread their wings in Caracas to protest the abandonment of the State

Parties and associations demanded that the State regulate the Organic Law for a Life Free of Violence. Social activists assert that the current instrument promotes diffuse applications of sanctions. They requested that effective protection measures be provided to victims of gender-based violence, as well as the installation of shelters, with sufficient resources for their maintenance throughout the country, in addition to clear protection policies for those women who decided to break the cycle of violence

“Woman, strength and freedom” is the slogan with which hundreds of women start a march to celebrate this Friday, November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

Starting at 9:30 a.m., the concentration point, the Brión de Chacaito square, in Caracas, was filled with women with butterfly wings on their backs, made of cardboard, cardboard, foam and other types of materials, as a representation symbolic of freedom, of life and that the sector will never again accept that the State is complicit in murders, inequality and misogyny.

“Las Mariposas” was the secret name used by political activists from the Dominican Republic Minerva, Patria and María Teresa Mirabal, in the Dominican Republic. They were assassinated on November 25, 1960, in a town near Santo Domingo, by order of the then dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo, due to their constant battle to overthrow the regime, eliminate injustices, and stop mistreatment of women. In honor of them, in 1999 the General Assembly of the United Nations approved the Declaration on the elimination of violence against women .

Hugs and signs of brotherhood multiply as the crowd grows. “Not one more” is one of the slogans chanted among themselves and in the media.

Political leaders, activists and organizations defending human rights and civil society attend the call, which starts at 10:57 am towards the Plaza Francia de Altamira, about three kilometers from the starting point.

“Down with the patriarchy that is going to fall. Up with feminism that is going to win”, shout the protesters. The march starts and immediately the song “Si miedo” by Vivir Quintana plays.

“How the State trembles!” warn women

“Let the State, the skies, the streets, the judges and judicial bodies tremble. Today the women who took away our calm grew wings”, they chant.

In a matter of minutes, Francisco de Miranda avenue, eastbound, fills up with people. Some pedestrians immediately recognize the activity, others come over to ask what it’s about, while the most tech-savvy and social media-streamers livestream the walk.

In the mobilization “the grandmother of the red helmet” asserts to SuchWhich that many women victims of violence are silent because there is no State security. She says the lack of proper care logistics costs women dearly.

She comments that there are many who do not move away from the perpetrator because they have nowhere to go “when they break the circle of violence.” He claims the State for shelters and social and psychological support for those who are mistreated and harassed.

«The logistics of attention must exist. How is a victim going to be next to the perpetrator? They have nowhere to go, said the “Lady in the red case” | Roison Figuera.As the demonstration progresses, the people carrying the largest banner are exchanged. The lawyer and Lgbti activist, Richelle Briceño; the former deputy of the National Assembly (AN) Tamara Adrian —the first transsexual legislator in Latin America—; the president of Primero Justicia (PJ) María Beatriz Martínez, are some of the leaders leading the march, along with members of NGOs such as Mujer y Vida, Uniendo Voluntades, among others.

A group of men even participates in the march, willing to shout “woman, life and freedom.”

Violence against women in all strata

Katiuska Camargo, leader of the non-governmental organization Uniendo Voluntades, which focuses on serving citizens from vulnerable sectors, reports that in popular areas women heads of household feel the violence of the State, referring to the inefficiency of public services and the fact that the salary is increasingly insufficient.

In references to domestic violence, he comments that the majority of women are always silent and that this has nothing to do with strata, because “in high places and within strata of power, women are violated by leaders of the toldas, it is important to make visible the great situation of violence that exists from childhood to the adult stage.

“We are proposing spaces for dialogue where women have a safe space where they can comment on what is happening. The State does not give us institutions that safeguard and protect us, ”she says.

Katiuska Camargo, leader of Uniting Wills | Roison Figuera.

At 11:52 am the mobilization arrives at the Plaza de Francia of Altamira. The women are received with applause by other leaders and leaders who were already there. As soon as they finish organizing, a round of speeches by the leaders and representatives of civil society begins.

PJ leader and former AN deputy Marialbert Barrios is one of the leaders who takes the right to speak to outline before the crowd the situation of violence that is seen in the political arena.

“This is especially for those who do not have a voice, those who have been discriminated against and excluded. It is time for women to be free, for them to be able to vote, for them to lead. Has that been 100% achieved? No. Today I’m talking about political rights. The matter of participating cannot be symbolic, it must be real, ”she exclaims.

Barrios recalls that violence unfolds in more than 20 ways, including political, economic, and even cybernetic. “In the political sphere we are a quarter of the spaces of power and it is not enough for us, being a quarter there is neither equality nor justice. The call is to join this group that is not going to stop ”, he adds.

Marialbert Barrios, leader of PJ | Roison Figuera

Along the same lines, Ibis de Franca, de Cambiemos affirms that political violence is all the actions or omissions that, with elements based on gender, occur in the exercise. He says that the leaders suffer daily from political violence.

“There are other limitations. There are women who are caregivers. I am a woman who was afraid that intimate videos would be released in the middle of an election to the AN. Only together we can ”, she relates.

Demands the National Electoral Council (CNE) to make it mandatory that parties have protocols to prevent gender violence.

Ivón Parra, mother Guillermo Rueda, extrajudicially murdered in 2018, tells the crowd, which applauded her as soon as she was introduced, that Venezuelan mothers are victims of the patriarchal system.

He remembers that in 2017 “extermination groups” murdered his son and until now he has not received justice. He asserts that the State mocks those most in need and that being young is a crime and a death penalty, as is thinking differently and protesting.

Another of the sectors that he says was present in the mobilization was health. Ana Rosario Contreras, president of the College of Nurses of Caracas. AIt adds in its right to speak that the women workers of the union are victims of violence when the state points out that they are responsible for the hospital crisis.

He warns that there is depression in the community due to the fact of working, but still not having food in their homes. “We call on the government to establish policies that guarantee the protection of Venezuelan women,” she adds.

demands of women

The mobilization ends almost at 1:00 pm. Before finalizing the parties and associations demanded that the State regulate the Organic Law for a Life Free of Violence, since they affirm there are ambiguities regarding the sanctions towards the perpetrators. .

They request that effective protection measures be provided to victims of gender-based violence, as well as the installation of shelters, with sufficient resources for their maintenance throughout the country, in addition to clear protection policies for those women who decided to break the cycle. of violence.

They ask to establish in educational centers, behavior protocols, programs and workshops for the prevention of gender-based violence, and to guarantee spaces free of discrimination. The same request is raised to companies.

“We ask the media to call for sensitivity to deal responsibly with cases of violence and promote the importance of women’s participation in development plans that generate well-being for the population,” they request.

The media were asked to follow the demands of the women and disseminate content with a gender perspective.

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