Rallying against women abuse

PROTESTS: ANGER OVER FAILURE TO PUNISH OFFENDERS

Masked demonstrators with sledgehammers clash with riot police.

Tens of thousands have rallied across the world to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, as France unveiled new measures to combat domestic violence.

Demonstrators on Monday gathered in countries as diverse as Guatemala, Russia, Sudan and Turkey, where riot police in Istanbul blocked the path of about 2 000 protesters before firing tear gas and plastic bullets to disperse them.

The French government announced it would make it easier for doctors to share information on vulnerable women and write into law the concept of psychological “entrapment”, following massive rallies in France over the weekend.

About 87 000 women and girls were killed across the world in 2017, according to the United Nations.

Monday’s rallies – animated by growing anger over the failure of justice systems to punish offenders – follow a weekend of protests against what is being termed femicide.

Crowds marched through the streets of Moscow to highlight the government’s failure to pass laws protecting women, and hundreds of Sudanese women chanted “freedom, peace and justice” as they gathered in Khartoum in the first such protest in decades.

In Mexico City, masked demonstrators with sledgehammers smashed glass panes of bus stops, spray-painted monuments and clashed with riot police on Monday to protest authorities’ failure to halt soaring rates of femicide and rape in the country.

Tens of thousands of Spaniards marched in Madrid on Monday evening following a weekend of protests. Spain’s long-standing laws against gender violence have not halted the problem – 52 women have been killed by their partners or ex-partners since the start of 2019. South Africa has one of the worst records of any country on gender violence and the government has faced several rounds of mass protests on the issue.

President Cyril Ramaphosa used Monday’s events to launch a campaign to improve victims’ access to justice and urge men to drop their “sexist and patriarchal attitudes”. – AFP

About 87 000 women, girls killed in 2017

Picture: EPA-EFE MARCHING ON. A rooster called ‘Galan’ walks as hundreds demonstrate to demand the end of violence against women during the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, in San Juan, Costa Rica, on Monday. This year, 11 feminicides were registered in the country.