Solidarity campaign: I SUPPORT CASA DE LA MUJER!!!

I SUPPORT THE WOMEN'S SHELTER.

In 2016, 25,807 reports of gender-based violence were registered nationwide; in Santa Cruz, 11,900 of these reports were filed, and Casa de la Mujer (Women's House) registered 3,000 of them. Femicides claimed the lives of 104 women, 21 of whom were from Santa Cruz. Over the past 27 years, Casa de la Mujer has assisted 106,000 survivors of gender-based violence. Of these, approximately 30,000, along with their families, sought refuge in the temporary shelter run by Casa de la Mujer. Each day, the Specialized Prosecutor's Office for Victims of Priority Attention (FEVAP) receives between five and seven reports of sexual assault.

In 2017, the Special Force to Combat Violence Against Women (FELCV) reported receiving 10,000 complaints of violence against women in the first quarter. The Attorney General of the State, Ramiro Guerrero, reported that 33 femicides were recorded in the same period. Today, June 6, 2017, in Santa Cruz, the death of a woman was reported. She had been in intensive care for six days after being struck in the head with a hammer by her partner. At the Women's Shelter, 738 women seeking protection and defense against gender-based violence that threatens their lives were registered up to the month of April.

Given these facts, it is abundantly clear that violence is a structural problem, the solution to which depends not only on the State as the guarantor of rights in general, but also on civil society, which must take responsibility and participate in its resolution. This is why we are seeking allies in the crusade against violence that we began 27 years ago and which, due to the critical situation facing non-governmental organizations, we are now passing the baton to civil society institutions and organizations.

Consequently, we launched the "I support the Women's Center" campaign, which is currently organizing a fundraising fair to benefit the women who attend and receive the services provided by the Women's Center; an activity organized with the support of friends, colleagues such as the Departmental Workers' Center, and people committed to eradicating violence.

The contributions of women to Bolivian democracy can no longer be denied. The female population continues to live under conditions of subordination, suffering the effects of patriarchal cultural behaviors that legitimize violence as the quickest way to control bodies and prevent women's democratic access to decision-making. Thinking, deciding, and proposing are not exclusive to men. (Miriam Suarez Vargas)