Argentina's far-right president poised to shut down anti-gender violence agency

Source: The Guardian

Argentina’s far-right president poised to shut down anti-gender violence agency

‘Women at risk’ amid increasing number of femicides but assistance including emergency helpline will be cut

Harriet Barber in Buenos Aires
Fri 7 Jun 2024 15.06 BST
Last modified on Fri 7 Jun 2024 16.09 BST

Javier Milei, Argentina’s far-right president, is poised to dissolve the government department responsible for tackling gender violence, prompting a furious backlash from human rights activists.

Claudia Barcia, the head of the undersecretariat for protection against gender violence, resigned on Thursday with a warning that the agency will soon be shuttered. “The Undersecretary of Protection against Gender Violence … will cease to exist,” Barcia wrote on Twitter, later confirming to the Guardian that she had received the news the previous day.

The decision comes as Milei’s administration cuts back on government spending and imposes sweeping austerity measures in an attempt to lift Argentina out of its economic crisis.

The country is suffering one of the highest inflation rates in the world, with more than half of people living in poverty. A source at the human rights secretariat said the move aims to “streamline” the agency and “optimise resources”, adding that “all missions and programmes” will continue.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/article/2024/jun/07/javier-milei-argentina-gender-violence