Argentina: Upending Progress

Upending Progress Argentina Thousands of Argentinians took to the streets of the capital Buenos Aires and other major cities to protest President Javier Milei’s recent comments disparaging the LGBTQ community and announcing plans to remove the crime of femicide from the penal code, Euronews reported. Saturday’s protests – dubbed the “Federal March of Anti-Fascist and Anti-Racist Pride” – saw participants draped in rainbow flags and carrying banners reading “rights are not negotiable.” During last month’s World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Milei criticized “sick wokeism,” feminism, social welfare, and the fight against climate change. He compared homosexuality to pedophilia. He also criticized the concept of femicide – when a man murders a woman because of her gender – claiming that “equality before the law already exists in the West. Everything else is just seeking privileges,” according to the Guardian. Soon after his comments, the Argentinian government announced plans to remove femicide as an aggravated crime from the country’s penal code. Justice Minister Mariano Cúneo Libarona defended the move, saying that “no life is worth more than another,” and that feminism had “distorted the concept of equality.” The rollback would eliminate femicide – a category that has existed since 2012 and is punishable by life imprisonment – as an aggravating factor in homicide cases. Numerous countries in Latin America have enacted femicide laws. The government says these measures are necessary to make sure Argentina offers a level playing field. However, protesters and critics complained that the decision ignores the reality of gender-based violence – official data recorded 295 femicides in Argentina last year, with Amnesty International warning that most women are killed by partners or family members. Since taking office in December, Milei has rapidly dismantled gender-equality policies, eliminated the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, and dissolved programs supporting victims of gender-based violence. The country has also voted against a United Nations resolution to prevent violence against women. Until now, Argentina had been at the forefront of such policies in the region. Human rights groups and legal observers have criticized the administration’s policies as dangerous, warning they could increase the risk to women and minorities, and are setting the country back decades. Milei’s administration has also come under scrutiny for slashing funding for historical memory initiatives, which would delay trials for crimes against humanity perpetrated during Argentina’s military dictatorship. Some protesters also expressed concern that Milei’s policies could have a ripple effect across the region, the Argentina-based Buenos Aires Herald wrote. Share this story