More than 4,000 women, men and children marched on Wednesday, part of an international effort protesting domestic and sexual violence toward women.

Led by Amnesty International, protests took place in Arica, Calama, Antofogasta, Talca, Los Andes, Valparaiso, Coltauco and Temuco.

Amnesty International criticized Chile’s record on police abuses and femicides in its 2008 annual International Report (released in May).

In the report, “The State of the World’s Human Rights,” Amnesty expressed its “serious concern” over “the continued prevalence of violence against women in Chile,” saying that the number of femicides reported in 2008 rose “scandalously” above figures from previous years.

Chile says no to violence against women. Photo by Gida Homad-Hamam

“There are data which show that women find it difficult to report acts of violence to the authorities, who do not investigate such cases adequately and who do not sentence those responsible,” said the report. “This shows the initiatives employed by the government to call attention to the problem and deal with its causes and effects are insufficient" (ST, May 28).

Chile’s Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence documents more than 500 femicide murders in Chile since 2001, with 53 occurring this year. Of these 53, only eight cases have reached trial and half were dealt with by restraining orders.

Chile’s 53rd femicide occurred just a day before the march when Romina Matus, 32, was strangled by her partner, who later killed himself.

SOURCES: EL MERCURIO, LA TERCERA
By Santiago Times Staff ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )