#NiUnaMenos ( es, Not one less) is a

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

vian group against

femicide Femicide or feminicide is a hate crime which is broadly defined as "the intentional killing of women or girls because they are female," but definitions of it vary depending on cultural context. In 1976, the feminist author Diana E. H. Russel ...

s and violence against women in the Andean country. The movement was formed in July 2016, and the march it staged in August 2016 has been characterized as the largest demonstration in Peruvian history

Background

Statistics

According to Peru's

National Statistics Institute National Institute of Statistics may refer to: *National Institute of Statistics of Bolivia *National Institute of Statistics of Cambodia *National Institute of Statistics and Census of Costa Rica *National Institute of Statistics and Census of Nica ...

2014 survey, 32.3% of Peruvian women had at some point experienced physical violence from a spouse or partner, and 11.9% had experienced such in the previous 12 months. The country's national human rights ombudsman's office has estimated that every month 10 women are killed by their partners. A 2015 study by the same office revealed that from January 2009 to October 2015, 795 femicides were committed, but the courts had issued only 84 sentences between 2012 and 2015. In 81% of the cases of attempted femicide no measures were taken by authorities to protect the survivor, and 24% of women who turned to the justice system for help were later murdered by the very men from whom they had sought protection. In 2017, between January and September there were 94 femicides, 5,707 sexual assaults and 21,000 assaults. Of the 5,707 sexual assaults, 71.33% of victims were children.

Movement

The protest was called as a show of indignation following the freeing from jail of convicted batterer

Adriano Pozo Arias Adriano or Adrião is the form of the Latin given name ''Hadrianus'' commonly used in the Italian language; the form Adrian is used in the English language. Notable people with the name include: * Adriano Banchieri, Italian composer, music theori ...

. In July 2015 Pozo had been captured on video attacking his girlfriend, lawyer

Cindy Arlette Contreras Bautista Cindy Arlette Contreras Bautista (born June 26, 1990) is a Peruvian lawyer and social activist. She is an International Women of Courage Award recipient, and was also included in the ''Time'' 100 list of the most influential people. Assault ...

, in a hotel in the city of

Ayacucho Ayacucho (, qu, Ayak'uchu) is the capital city of Ayacucho Region and of Huamanga Province, Ayacucho Region, Peru. During the Inca Empire and Viceroyalty of Peru periods the city was known by the name of Huamanga (Quechua: Wamanga), and it c ...

, and dragging her by the hair. The attack left her with damage to one of her legs, necessitating the use of a cane. On 22 July 2016 a three-judge panel issued Pozo a 1-year suspended prison sentence and ordered him released from jail.

Protests

2016

The demonstration was called with the

hashtag A hashtag is a metadata tag that is prefaced by the hash (also known as pound or octothorpe) sign, ''#''. On social media, hashtags are used on microblogging and photo-sharing services such as Twitter or Instagram as a form of user-generated ...

s "#NiUnaMenos" and "#A13", and the slogan "If they lay a hand on one of us, they lay a hand on all of us" (''Si tocan a una, tocan a todas''). The protest took place in the streets of

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...

, and other cities, on August 13, 2016. The march in Lima started at the

El Campo de Marte The Campo de Marte is one of the largest parks in the metropolitan area of Lima, capital city of Peru. Similar in size to ''Parque de la Exposición'' and ''Parque de la Reserva''. Campo de Marte originally was part of ''Exposición'' and later a ...

park, and proceeded to Plaza San Martín in Lima's historic downtown, before ending with a rally before the Palace of Justice. It was attended by an estimated 200,000 to 500,000 people (though at least one news outlet puts the figure at 1 million), comprising a column 30 blocks long, led by Cindy Arlette Contreras Bautista,

Lady Guillén The word ''lady'' is a term for a girl or woman, with various connotations. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the equivalent of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. Infor ...

, and other women who had survived violence. It has been characterized as the largest march in Peruvian history.

2017

On 25 November 2017, NiUnaMenos again organized tens of thousands of Peruvians to march against violence towards women. The march began near the Palace of Justice and concluded in Plaza San Martín.

2018

On 2 June 2018, after the death of Eyvi Ágreda, a 22 years-old woman who was burned to death by her stalker, NiUnaMenos protesters were teargassed by police as they demonstrated outside the Palace of Justice in Lima demanding justice in femicide cases and an end to impunity.

References

{{Reflist, 30em Feminist protests Violence against women in Peru Protests in Peru 2016 protests 2016 in Peru August 2016 events in South America