Law against gender violence was reconsidered
Ecuadornews:
The inclusion of changes in the original document of the Law to Prevent and Eradicate Violence against Women provoked criticism and confusion. These modifications were proposed by CREO, the social cristiano – madera de guerrero and a part of SUMA, all political movements.
The pro-life groups announced in social networks that this “stopped the abortion in the project”. But, yesterday, the Assembly reconsidered the initiative and eliminated that last-minute text. The National Assembly yesterday reconsidered the draft Law to Prevent and Eradicate Violence against Women because it provoked controversy, criticism and much confusion.
Yesterday the original text that was developed by the occasional Special Commission for the treatment of the project was revised.
That proposal, approved at dawn last Saturday, had 2 last minute changes, requested by CREO the social cristiano – madera de guerrero and a part of the members of SUMA, according to the assembly members consulted by this newspaper.
That session of the plenary was convened at 22:00, a rather unusual hour, by the president of the Assembly, José Serrano. There, the plenary session passed, quickly, those modifications that support the thesis of the pro-life groups to “stop the abortion in the project”.
That’s what Citizen Go says, an organization that works on campaigns to legislate with a family perspective and the defense of life, according to its website.
The first change they introduced was article 26, literal k, which says to guarantee an open and free access, comprehensive care, confidential and without discrimination in all “emergency situations”. The original text read: … comprehensive care and without discrimination “to women with abortion in progress”.
The second modification was to include the reference to Article 45 of the Constitution, and Article 149 of the Criminal Code (COIP). The Political Charter establishes that the State will guarantee life, care and protection from its conception. The COIP indicates a prison sentence for anyone who practices an abortion on a woman, even if she has consented to it.
However, the original text makes no reference to those articles. Mónica Alemán, president of the Special Commission to Prevent and Eradicate Violence against Women and who proposed the reconsideration, said that it is not a sanctioning law but a preventive one that raises four axes: prevention, protection, attention and reparation of rights
The reconsideration, which was also not included in the agenda of the National Assembly, was made because the women’s defense groups, the ruling party and the minorities protested.
With 81 votes, the legislators eliminated those changes and ratified the initial document, which has 66 articles. In addition, they corrected a literal in article 3 to protect migrants who suffer violence in other countries.
Eliseo Azuero, an independent assembly member of the National Integration Block (BIN), told the newspaper that the approval was “errors and horrors.” According to him, it is not known who could insert this abortion penalty. “We spoke from total ignorance and we support the need to give a legal body that goes in favor of women in difficult circumstances.
Other members of the assembly are wondering why the head of the Legislature put such a text to the vote. For Wilma Andrade it was surprising, however, she said: “They made the mistake and it is good that they rectify. We will be careful and we will watch to avoid more surprises like these. “Andrade said that 35 legislators of the ruling party were absent that day, including some who defend women, he said.
On the other hand, Tanlly Vera, of CREO and member of the special Commission for the treatment of the law against women violence, said that there was “tremendous pressure from Serrano”. For her, the issue was “handled politically” because President Moreno announced that this project would be approved on November 25 and “Serrano wanted to comply with those times.”
The report for the second debate was completed last Thursday, at 8:00 p.m., and at 10:00 p.m., the convocation to the plenary for Saturday was ready, he said. Vera said that some Partido Social Cristiano –Madera de Guerrero members drafted those changes that displeased activists in favor of women. “It is not a sanctioning law and does not penalize anyone; on the contrary, it protects women against violence.”
The law was drafted with the Executive’s initiative that saw an exit to the problem of violence against women that has triggered the number of femicides in the country to 134 cases to date, according to the Surkuna women’s organization. The commission also used the law for the Right of Women to a life free of violence, which was sent by the National Coalition of Women of Ecuador.
Rocío Rosero, president of that organization, explained to this newspaper that the law is integral to prevent, protect, strengthen and repair the victims of violence. For her, prevention has an information system to rethink educational curricula at all levels. “The gender approach is a transversal vision, rethinks the relationships between men and women.
The law should create public policies to count, in the 221 cantons of the country, with specialized personnel to treat the victims of violence: psychologists, doctors, social workers, therapy, lawyers. “They are not courses of a month, but a process of capacity building in the subject. This goes through a long-term cultural change.”
The proposal also aims to create a protection system for women and prevent them from falling into pain. For example, some mothers from 10 to 14 years old are thrown out of their homes because they’re pregnant. But they are victims of rape, then, the State will take care of them.
In addition, the law creates protective mechanisms such as urgent attention devices, immediate help tickets, panic buttons. For example, the assets of the violated women will be protected. There are cases of judges who dictate measures against these women when their husbands or partners demand them. They end up on the street and go from victims to scammers, he said. But, perhaps the most interesting part of the law is reparation to the victims this is economic, symbolic and comprehensive, says the document.
Letter from the Council for the Regulation and Development of Information and Communication
The Council for the Regulation and Development of Information and Communication, as the agency in charge of the regulation and promotion of the rights of information and communication, in relation to the holder called ‘The Law of Abortion, in its final stage’, published on this date, by the newspaper of his address, urges not to use elements that may transfigure the essence of publicly relevant information.
In this sense, it is essential that in the future its owners keep consistency with the content of the news, as determined by the Organic Law of Communication in its Article 10, deontological standards.
The Council for the Regulation and Development of Information and Communication recalls the co-responsibility of State institutions, media and communication and civil society to ensure the full exercise of the rights established in the Constitution, the International Human Rights treaties and the Organic Law of Communication.
With sentiments of consideration
Sincerely,
Dr. Danilo Sylva Pazmiño
PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF REGULATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION
Groups of women and Pro-life in vigil for abortion
The texts included at the last minute in the Law to Prevent and Eradicate Violence against Women that refer to abortion generated debate between Pro Vida organizations and feminist groups.
Both sides held a sit-in outside the National Assembly while the norm was approved. The first argue that there can be no regulations that are on the Constitution. Amparo Medina, spokesperson for the National Front for the Family, expressed her disagreement over the elimination of the articles that indicate that the State will recognize and guarantee life from conception and the second that reaffirms sanctions for women who have an abortion.
The representative said that mobilizations are being prepared to express their rejection of the regulations. “If we have to take the Presidency of the Republic, we will do it. If the call for one and a half million people in the march was not enough “With my children, do not get involved”, now we are going to double the number of people to prevent this law from happening.”
These concentrations are expected to take place after the festivities in the capital and before Christmas, the spokesperson said.
The other side of the coin is the feminist collectives. Ximena Cabrera of the Vivas Platform we want also expressed her rejection of the law.Sge did so because she considers that the regulations are not a legal tool for protection for women. For her, the article of the Magna Carta that guarantees life from conception puts the lives of women, girls and adolescents at risk.
Her argument is based on the number of girls forced to be mothers. “They give us crumbs by saying that we can be treated in health centers, but, in the same text, they say that we will be persecuted and imprisoned for having an abortion.” The spokesperson of the collective added that they are in vigil by law. She did not rule out new mobilizations. The jurist and teacher Paulina Palacios applauded that the Legislature has withdrawn the texts of last minute.
Allegations of mistreatment of women reach 117,000
In an interview with the Andes News Agency, the Minister of Justice, Rosana Alvarado, lamented that so far this year have been submitted more than 117,000 complaints of physical and psychological abuse against women in the country, most of which have been caused by the victim’s partner.
The official congratulated initiatives such as the “early warning” of the Ministry of the Interior, which has saved lives thanks to an effective communication system of the community with the National Police. Alvarado said that the Comprehensive Law to Eradicate Gender Violence has an entire system of protection, attention and reparation for victims.
For her, more important subjects of the law are in returning to the administrative measures of immediate protection that have been requested and demanded by the groups and organizations of women. That, she said, will allow the aggressor to be forced to leave the residence of the victim. That is a measure of help, of immediate intervention that can save women’s lives.
She added, there is the order to move away from the victim’s aggressor, which can be implemented at the level of the police or chiefs and political lieutenants. Alvarado stressed that in this country there is the system of early warnings, developed by the Ministry of the Interior and that has allowed to identify the main places and districts where there are episodes of violence. On the other hand, the Special Protection Service of the Ministry of Justice offers psychological and preventive care in social work with the victims.
The law proposes a fund for education, health and housing for the children of victims of femicide. Those measures, he said, make the crime that has been committed against the mother less tragic and painful. They are children who have been orphaned because their mother was killed by the father. The Secretary of State stressed that the plan for the Eradication of Gender Violence is being updated, which will have a different approach, that is, the de-feminization of poverty.
“We have enough arguments to know that with the reduction of poverty there is also a decrease in violence. By giving them economic alternatives and undertakings, they are also supporting themselves so that the circle of violence is broken, “she said.
According to her, it is necessary to continue working because violence has been naturalized without it being even identified. “There are women who say that the husband is not violent. They deny suffering violence because the blows have not been in the face, “she said. The Minister of Justice explained that a campaign is planned for the eradication of gender violence, which should seek to modify the cultural patterns that are the most violent, the most naturalized. But, at the same time, women should be encouraged to report and not keep quiet.