‘#NiUnaMenos’: The Mass movement Against Gender-Based Violence in the Hispanic World

 by Dulcie Langley

'Ni una mujer menos, ni una muerte más.’ 

(‘Not one woman less, not one more death.’)

These were the words of Mexican poet and human rights activist Susana Chávez Castillo, before she was tortured and killed in Ciudad Juárez in 2011. Today, ‘Ni una menos’ is the slogan of a mass feminist protest movement opposing violence against women, which began in Argentina in 2015 but has since spread to other countries in Latin America and Europe.

In Argentina, according to the Women's Office of the Supreme Court of Justice, one woman is killed every 32 hours. The particular murder that prompted the first ‘Ni una menos’ protest, a gathering of more than 200,000 people in Buenos Aires, was that of 14 year old Chiara Páez. Páez was found buried in the garden of her 16 year old boyfriend’s house. She had been beaten to death after having been forced to take medication to terminate her pregnancy, traces of which were found in the autopsy. 

Since that initial gathering, the #NiUnaMenos group has consistently called upon the Argentinian government to ensure the safety of its women, with measures such as the publication of official statistics on violence against women, guarantees of protection and justice for women affected by violence, the construction of shelters for survivors, the legalisation of abortion and the delivery of effective sex and gender education.

In 2016, the movement organised the first women-led mass strike in the country. Countries such as Bolivia, Mexico, Peru, Chile, El Salvador, Paraguay and Uruguay soon followed suit with similar demonstrations. Spain also became involved with protests under the ‘Ni una menos’ label, with their first demonstration against gender violence taking place in November 2015.

A couple of years later, activists decided to harness this ‘massive mobilisation’ to bring attention to the ‘longstanding fight’ of ‘reproductive health and rights’, as Human Rights Watch Researcher in Madrid Ximena Casa describes. Over 2018, the #NiUnaMenos movement transitioned into the Green Wave demonstrations, calling for safe and legal access to abortions in Latin America.  Protesters donned green clothes and waved green flags and handkerchiefs. Eventually, in a landmark ruling for a country usually dominated by Roman Catholic values, Argentina made the elective procedure legal in December 2020. Senators voted on the bill with 38 in favour, 29 against and one abstention. Before this decision, abortion had only been legal in cases where the mother’s life was in jeopardy or she had been raped. 

On the back of this victory, other countries in the region have also participated in marches to demand access to abortion. As a result, the Mexican states of Veracruz and Hildalgo have approved the decriminalisation of abortion up to 12 weeks of gestation, while the Mexican Supreme Court has ruled it to be unconstitutional to punish abortion as a crime. Chile is also moving towards decriminalising abortion for the first 14 weeks of pregnancy, with the Chilean Chamber of Deputies approving a bill last September awaiting Senate approval.

Therefore, the #NiUnaMenos movement has driven tangible advances in Argentina, as well as launching a domino effect in the surrounding areas. Other successes of the campaign include that, at the end of 2019, the Argentine government of Alberto Fernández set up the Ministry for Women, Gender and Diversity. This is solely focused on ending gender-based violence and securing personal rights to security and bodily autonomy.  Additionally, activists in Chile have fought for gender parity in the legislative body that has been tasked with drafting a new Constitution.

However, whilst the movement has triggered a new stream of activity, there remains a persistent lack of progress in addressing women’s safety and freedom in Latin America. Latin America continues to be one of the most dangerous places in the world for women, almost seven years after #NiUnaMenos protesters first took their stand. One in three women in the region have been subjected to violence and between 17% and 53% of women have reportedly experienced domestic violence. It appears that the Latin American governments’ commitment to implement their published legislation in reality is what is restricting the achievements of the campaign. All of the countries have ratified the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, and 14 have ratified the convention’s optional protocol that permits a special UN committee to monitor states’ compliance. Latin American countries have also committed to treaties such as the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence Against Women, which affirms that gender-based violence constitutes a violation of women’s human rights and fundamental freedom. And yet, as a recent report revealed, Latin America hosts 14 of the 25 countries with the highest rates of femicide in the world. 

Recent lockdowns during the pandemic have only worsened the situation, forcing women to stay at home with their abusers for prolonged periods of time. According to a UN study, there were more than 4,000 femicides recorded in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2020. Perhaps most frustratingly, of the more than 250 femicides recorded by Argentina in that year alone, 41 of the victims had previously filed complaints. 

Thus, it is evident that violence against women in this region will be an ongoing problem. But, with the developing impact of #NiUnaMenos, it’s a problem that Latin America will no longer ignore.