Why they are taking to the streets

As the world marks International Women’s Day, here’s taking a close look at South America, where women are protesting over gender-based violence. The continent stands out for crimes against women

ONE OUT OF THREE

In Latin America and the Caribbean, at least one out of every three women has experienced physical and/or sexual violence at some point in her life, according to the UN

12 LIVES PER DAY

Femicide claims the lives of a dozen women a day in Latin America, which is home to 14 of the 25 countries with the highest rates of femicide globally. But 98% of these killings go unprosecuted

CHILE

Protests began in October and raged until December over social inequality, sparking a feminist song and dance routine that went viral. 42 cases of sexual abuse were reported on average daily in 2018. Last year, 46 women were killed because of their gender, a crime known as femicide. Theatre group Las Tesis organised a performance, ‘A Rapist in Your Path’, a song and dance drawing attention towards sexual violence

ARGENTINA

South America's answer to the #MeToo movement was born in Argentina - known as #NiUnaMenos (Not One Less) - prompting women to protest against high rates of sexual violence. Femicides have risen in recent years where one women is killed every 32 hours. The feminist movement focuses on abortion rights in Argentina where abortions are only allowed in cases of rape or if the mother's health is at risk

BRAZIL

Brazil's feminist wave can be traced back to the election of 2018, when people took to the streets in major cities in women-led protests against Jair Bolsonaro. Angered by his history of making demeaning comments, women protesters used the hash tag #EleNao, or #NotHim, to drum up support for a series of protests against the former army captain. Brazil is among the deadliest countries in the world for women

MEXICO

The femicide rate rose 10% in 2019 and more than 75% of women say they feel unsafe, sparking women-led protests. Large groups took to the streets last August after the rape of two women by cops, and the murder of 7-year-old Fatima Cecilia Aldrighett in February sparked a new round of protests. Furious protesters sprayed graffiti on the Mexico City Angel of Independence monument

AFP Activists in Bucharest protest at a rally to draw attention towards violence against women across the world in the build-up to the International Women’s Day on Sunday.