On this International Women’s Day in Latin America women march, and then they strike.
Micaela. Pamela. Brenda. Guadalupe. Jordana. Octavia. Agustina. Ingrid. Fátima. Angie. Manuela. Doris. Adriana. Luisa. Ana. Luz. Jesenia. Mónica.
These are just a few of the women and girls who were killed in Latin America in 2020 – a region where there is a new femicide every two hours. There were 1206 registered femicides in Brazil in 2018. In Mexico, there were 1006 registered cases last year. In Argentina there were 68 registered femicides so far this year. It’s time for it to stop.
According to Reuters, “Femicide claims the lives of 12 women a day in Latin America which is home to 14 of the 25 countries with the highest rates of femicide globally but 98% of these killings go unprosecuted.”
Women in Latin America are tired of seeing a new femicide in the news every day.
They’re tired of being afraid and angry all the time. They’re tired of worrying about their safety, of having to check in on their friends, of being alert at all times because they’re not safe in their homes.
All eyes will be on Latin America this International Women’s Day. Women all over the region are marching this Sunday to demand justice. And on Monday they’re planning to strike — they will stay home from school, work and university and they will avoid making purchases. The goal is to show people what the world would be like without them.
Here are some things you can expect to see:
- Performances of “Un violador en tu camino”
- These “Un día sin mujeres” illustrations on social media
- Women wearing the green scarf, supporting access to safe, legal abortions
If you aren’t in the region and want to join them from abroad, like I’ll be doing, you can show your support on social media. There will be plenty of photos, videos and illustrations circulating mainly on Twitter and Instagram. You can also find threads like the “hallada” test, where women searched on Google their names with the word “found” (hallada) and realized they share their names with women who were killed.
As the feminist movement in Latin America continues to become more powerful and influential, the pressure on governments to implement policy changes grows. I’m excited to see these women speak up for themselves and each other. They broke the silence and now they’re unstoppable.
This International Women’s Day let’s support women in Latin America.
