Rich women abort whilst poor women die. Wikimedia Commons.
2018 has been a year of many achievements and challenges for
women’s rights in Latin America. Despite many obstacles, the feminist movement
continues to move forward as they demand sexual and reproductive rights,
including the right to abort, that so many reject in the current conservative
political context.
Thanks to their fight and political mobilisation, women continue
to gain more and more relevance in the public sphere, assuring that their gender
doesn’t limit their access to opportunities in Latin America.
A glance at the milestones of this battle over the past year
are signs of a tough reality, but they also provide us with hope. The recent
absolution of Imelda Cortez in El Salvador, the incredible achievements of the
Green Tide that shook Argentina, and the murder of counsellor Marielle Franco
in Rio are among the many events that defined the feminist struggle of 2018.
That’s why we present to you our analysis of three events
that shook the Latin American feminist world this year:
The absolution of Imelda Cortez
At only 21 years of age, Imelda represents a symbol of the
fight to end reproductive repression in Central America. Continuously raped by
her step-father since she was 12, she became pregnant, but after suffering from
‘denied pregnancy’ due to the trauma she had experienced, she gave birth
unexpectedly on the toilet in her home.
A report that came from a doctor in the hospital in which
Imelda was seen to was what led her into custody where she would remain for 20
months. The trial, characterised by delays, threatened to put her in prison for
20 years for a suspected homicide attempt in what was in fact an accidental
birth.
During these past months, her case has become a symbol of
the feminist movement in El Salvador that from the very beginning has demanded
justice for Imelda.
What happened to Imelda is a representation of the tragic
human rights abuses that women in the region continue to suffer due to such
restrictive legislation regarding reproductive rights.
Putting an end to the criminalisation of abortion and the incarceration of women who abort is one of the main objectives of the Latin American feminist movement.
Putting an end to the criminalisation of abortion and the
incarceration of women who abort is one of the main objectives of the Latin
American feminist movement.
They believe the policies of the region punish the
most vulnerable women of them all, that when faced with inequalities with
regards to work and education, are the most likely to face discrimination.
After a long judicial process and thanks to a huge wave of
mobilisation in defence of Imelda, she was finally able to be reunited with her
daughter. Her absolution represents a victory in the commitment of Latin
American women in obtaining their rights.
The victory of the Green Tide
An impressive movement known worldwide as the Argentine
Green Tide inundated the streets of this South American nation with more than
500 organisations in defence of women’s rights, as well as mobilising thousands
more who demanded that the Argentine Congress decriminalised abortion.
This historic mobilisation that took on international
dimensions achieved enormous support in favour of free, safe and legal
abortion, and has helped to ensure this issue will not simply disappear from
the agenda.
This battle that has achieved many victories throughout this
year continues to face up to some serious challenges, particularly that posed
by an organised, powerful backlash against their cause.
Under the banner of the Green Tide, the movement must carry
on without losing its momentum and it must assume new goals such as that of
tackling conscientious objectors and the Christian lobby who seek to restrict
legal abortion in any way they can.
The fight will undoubtedly continue throughout 2019.
Activists have managed to create a movement that has the Argentine government
walking on a tightrope, whilst those against the decriminalisation of abortion
are aware that any decision that is taken in favour will create a powerful
precedent that will only spread through Latin America.
The assassination of Marielle and the #EleNão movement
The assassination of Marielle Franco, a politician elected
to the municipal government of Rio de Janeiro, symbolises the grave situation
in which female activists, particularly those who belong to minority groups,
currently find themselves in.
Now, the openly sexist attitudes of the president elect of Brazil represent yet another potential digression for women and minorities across the country, which alerts us to the possibility the crime may go unpunished.
Marielle personified hope for those who grew up in
tremendously difficult circumstances, and showed that through political
mobilisation, change was possible. It is for this reason that her murder was politically
motivated.
Now, the openly sexist attitudes of the president elect of
Brazil represent yet another potential digression for women and minorities
across the country, which alerts us to the possibility the crime may go
unpunished.
Since the very first days of his campaign, Jair Bolsonaro
has provoked a strong reaction from the feminist movement. Thousands of women
aware of the risks of the sexist, xenophobic and racist declarations of the
presidential candidate took to the streets of the main cities of Brazil
chanting the slogan ‘Ele Não’.
However, the dimensions of the movement also produced a
strong counteraction led by the evangelical church and the most conservative
forces of the country.
This reaction consisted of uniting voters under the
slogan ‘Ele Sim’ and presenting Bolsonaro as a victim of unfair attacks,
including a stabbing suffered during the campaign trail.
The challenge this movement now faces is to continue
opposing democratic backslides and threats to human rights that may occur once
Bolsonaro assumes the presidency.
These events have left their mark on the Latin American
feminist movement of 2018, and the continuity of mobilisation into the next
year will ensure that the resistance will not slow down, and will only emerge
stronger.
The women’s rights agenda will be judged by its capacity to
create strategies that allow their transnational networks to become stronger,
and its ability to avoid digressions in battles previously won in Latin America
where a turn to the conservative right is currently sweeping through the
region.