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21 March 2011 El Salvador: Women in parliament unite on new law against violence
A groundbreaking law aimed at halting high levels of violence against
women in El Salvador, the Central American country with the world’s highest rates for murder of women, was officially made
public last week following approval five months ago by the overwhelming majority of members of the national legislative assembly. The
First Comprehensive Law for a Life Free of Violence against Women contains 61 articles to uphold the rights of women through
policies on detection and prevention of violence, and victim assistance and protection, among other measures. The law
will come into force next year and was endorsed after 4,000 women marched to the national assembly building to demand the
Bill’s approval on 25 November 2010—‘International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women’. “We have seen
women parliamentarians from different parties arguing among each other about other issues, but on this occasion we united
to pursue a common aim: that the rights of women be granted—and respected,” said Carmen Elena de Escalón, an assembly member
and secretary of the Salvadorian Women’s Parliamentary Group. The law punishes all forms of violence against women:
from female murders (with 20-35 years of imprisonment for those convicted), to mocking, disparaging or isolation of women
in their workplaces, communities or schools (with fines of between 2-25 times the national monthly minimum wage or through
community work). Less than six percent of the 477 women who were murdered between January and October 2010 resulted
in convictions and of nearly 7,000 reported cases of sexual crimes, only 436 resulted in convictions between 2008 and 2009.
The El Salvador Institute for Women's Development dealt with
more than 6,000 cases of violence against women from January to November, 2010, including domestic violence, child abuse,
assault and harassment, sexual exploitation and human trafficking. “Women’s rights—and violence against women—are huge
challenges for international cooperation in Central America,” said Nidia Hidalgo, an El Salvador-based gender expert for the
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) which convened meetings on the issue with women parliamentarians, including at
international forums. “This new law has a special significance because it includes, in a comprehensive manner, various
responsibilities: from the municipal, to the state and national levels, while forging an institutional system to support women
victims of violence,” Hidalgo added. When the law comes into force next year, the Government of El Salvador will also
develop a National Policy for Women's Access to a Life Free of Violence, to guide national and sub-national measures for victims
of violence, which is usually perpetrated by a male partner or acquaintance. In the meantime, UNDP continues to work
with the Women’s Parliamentary Group to create a specialized unit to address women’s rights in the El Salvador legislative
assembly and help ensure that the national budget’s expenditure reflects different needs and priorities for women and girls.
More about UNDP El Salvador |
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