Women's Center: presents public policy proposal to address violence against women in Santa Cruz

The Public Policy “Women Free from Violence” is the result of a participatory process, rich in contributions, demands and proposals to guarantee the effective application of the laws that protect the rights of women.

The event took place at the Environmental Education Center (CEA) on Thursday at 5:00 PM. Representatives from various women's organizations participated, who, despite the complexity of formulating a public policy, started from their own realities, recognizing their needs, problems, and the urgency of addressing women's demands to fully exercise their constitutional right to live a life free from violence.

Various women's organizations participated in the process, led by Casa de la Mujer, in alliance with the Women's Coordinating Committee, and women's organizations from and representing a large majority of the provinces. This ensured the active inclusion of women from the provinces and diverse sectors of both urban and rural life in the discussion forums. This process has the merit of highlighting the proactive capacity of civil society, and specifically of women, who rejected the notion that public policies are formulated in an office by experts in policymaking.

Assemblyman José Carlos Suruco Barbery, who closely followed the construction process, also spoke at the event. He emphasized the importance of planning while taking into account departmental competencies, and noted that women recognize this authority's contribution to democratic processes.

This participatory process of the public policy “Women Free from Violence” proved that the population is the best informed about its reality and therefore is the one that can propose simple actions that only depend on the political will of the authorities to prioritize social investment in their comprehensive and sectoral programs and plans aimed at laying the foundations of a society based on respect for human rights, without discrimination of any kind.

Governor Ai pledged to submit a report on the activity and follow up on these proposals, in addition to signing a receipt and commitment of support document.

They gathered to officially deliver the public policy document “Women Free from Violence” to the highest-ranking departmental authority, the Governor. The document is the result of several months of debates and consensus-building that considered the department's context and the real possibilities for redirecting departmental policies that ensure a commitment to development based on real democracy. The effective implementation of Law 348, which guarantees our right to live a life free from violence, depends on his will and the importance he gives to our proposal.

“Women in History” Santa Cruz, September 20, 2018