Argentina, EU and UN team up to end violence against women and girls

Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica, visited Buenos Aires for the launch of the national programme for Argentina of the Spotlight initiative to end violence against women and girls, with a focus on femicide.

Commissioner Mimica said, “We are glad to support Argentinian efforts in engaging everyone – women and men – to put an end to gender-based violence. Together we can achieve true gender equality and build better societies. With an investment of nearly €8 million in Argentina, the Spotlight Initiative will boost efforts and strengthen institutions to make sure that women and girls never have to live in fear again”.

Argentina is the second country in Latin America to launch a country initiative, six months after the official launch of the €50 million Latin America regional programme at the UN General Assembly in New York last year. It has come about thanks to joint efforts from the UN, the EU and the Argentinian Government. The initiative will operate in three provinces with high femicide rates (Buenos Aires, Salta and Jujuy). Beyond that, it will help strengthen key institutions involved in combating femicide nationwide. The EU will be contributing an initial €5 million to the overall Spotlight investment in Argentina, which is expected to be in the order of €8 million in total.

Gender-based violence affects every country in the world. The figures are stark. In Argentina, one woman is murdered every 32 hours. Almost 3 000 women have been killed by their partners since 2008. Only last year Argentina reported 273 victims of femicide and as a result, 339 children lost their mothers. The Spotlight Initiative will provide support to fill the legislative and policy gaps and will help improve access to preventive and post-violence care, targeting groups most vulnerable to discrimination. The Initiative is focused on supporting the country’s cultural change through joint efforts with the formal and non-formal education sectors, communities, the media, the civil society and private sector.

Original source: European Commission
Published on 22 March 2019