Boric Asks Senate To Speed Up Sweeping Law Against Violence Against Women

This content was published on May 12, 2023 – 10:28 p.m. May 12, 2023 – 10:28 p.m

Santiago, Chile, 12 May (EFE). – Chilean President Gabriel Boric on Friday said violence against women was “a public safety issue” and called on the Senate to speed up processing of the bill on women’s right to a life free of violence, known as the “Comprehensive.” Violence Act”, a priority on the Ministry of Women’s legislative agenda.

“It is of vital urgency to move it forward,” the President said of the project, which aims to prevent, eradicate and repair gender-based violence, in line with Chile’s commitments by signing and ratifying the Belém do Pará Convention, and which continues to advance into the Senate Constitutional Commission.

Boric, along with Interior Minister Carolina Tohá and Minister for Women and Equality Antonia Orellana, attended a meeting with groups of families of victims of femicide following the recent enactment of the Compensation Law for Victims of Femicide and Their Families.

“This norm implies justice, it implies reparation, it takes responsibility for the debt owed by victims of femicide, and what we are doing exactly today is to pay that debt,” the President affirmed.

The law provides protection and redress for victims of femicide and feminicidal suicide and their families.

Among other things, employment rights for victims of a frustrated or attempted femicide are taken into account for up to one year after the commission of the crime, as well as a pension for boys and girls whose mother was a victim of femicide until they came of age.

According to the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, there have been ten femicides so far this year for reasons provided for by law.

For the Chilean network against violence against women, which has been counting women’s deaths from sexist violence since 2010, the number of femicides in 2013 was 13 and one femicide suicide was also recorded. EFE

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