More than a million women in Chile are preparing to join a massive protest this Sunday to mark International Women’s Day, in a march expected to reignite the wave of social unrest that began four months ago.
“Social movements in Chile have always been pushed by women. Decades ago, during the dictatorship, women led the resistance – from organizing soup kitchens to fighting for human rights,” said Belén Calcagno, who is coordinating a group marching on Sunday in Concepción, a city in southern Chile. “Today our role continues to be central.”
Anger over rising metro fares erupted in October into a series of nationwide protests against inequality, social injustice and the high cost of living. Violent clashes between protesters and police have resulted in more than 30 dead, thousands injured and 445 with eye injuries caused by police weapons – leaving 34 people blinded.
After a summer lull, Sunday’s march will be the first mass demonstration since New Year’s Eve. It is expected to be the first of several protests in the run-up to a historic referendum in April, when Chileans will vote on reforming the country’s Pinochet-era constitution.
Alondra Carrillo, spokesperson for the country’s largest feminist advocacy group, La Coordinadora Feminista 8M, said that as well as sharing the demands of the wider movement, Chile’s women are fighting for specific gender-related issues, such as legal abortion, an end to domestic violence, and for greater equality in the workplace.
“Women are permanently subjected to various forms of patriarchal violence, which is an integral part of the way in which Chile is organized,” she said.
The Chilean Network Against Violence Towards Women calculates that an average of 130,000 cases of domestic violence are reported in Chile each year, making it one of the country’s “most reported crimes”. Each day, 42 cases of sexual abuse are reported to the police – only 25.7% of which result in judicial rulings. Last year, 46 women were murdered by their partners.
Feminists say that Piñera’s rightwing government has done little to address women’s rights issues and has even further limited access for women to abort under the current restricted circumstances.https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/06/chile-womens-day-protest
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