“We, the popular ones, are women, trans women, lesbians, bisexuals, non-binary people, transvestites, Indigenous women, Afro-descendants, migrants, women from the slums, and women living with HIV. We are each and every one of the activists who began this struggle in 2005 alongside the National Campaign for the Right to Legal, Safe, and Free Abortion. We are the ones who, while demanding an end to the victimization of us, affirm our right to pleasure, to decide our own destinies, to control our own time, and to not be exploited or forced to fulfill desires that are not our own,” the document states. According to figures from the organization Casa del Encuentro, between June 3, 2015, and May 29, 2018, there were 871 femicides (109 of which were related) and 24 transphobic murders. 114 femicides from January to March and 4 transvesticides so far in 2018, a figure that is debatable given the lack of visibility of these crimes for the Justice system and the media.

[READ ALSO: “Transvesticide, the final link in the chain of daily violence against transvestites and trans people”]

On the other hand, activists from the transvestite-trans collective and organizations such as the Trans Memory Archive denounce that In addition to the transvestites, there were at least 30 deaths of female colleagues who were victims of what is called "social transvesticide". “The most invisible numbers are those deaths, which are also crimes. The residue left by the State's lack of attention: due to the practice of prostitution, the lack of access to healthcare. It's residual violence. All trans people experience residual violence. There's no awareness of this violence: from when they yell 'faggot' at you to when they attack you in the street. Deaths from injectable industrial silicone are a topic that's not discussed. And in the healthcare system, there are no treatments for its removal, and it's a constant, self-inflicted danger due to societal mandates,” Lara Bertolini, a trans activist and employee of the Public Prosecutor's Office, told Presentes.

Who are the transvestite and trans girls murdered in 2018?

Cynthia Moreira in Tucumán

 Her family and friends had been desperately searching for her for more than two months. Cynthia Moreira, a 25-year-old trans woman, was last seen on February 14 in San Miguel de Tucumán.On April 17, the courts confirmed that the DNA of a mutilated body, found on February 22 in the backyard of a house in the Villa Alem neighborhood, in the south of the provincial capital, belonged to her. Tucumán is one of the most violent provinces in Argentina for transgender people. LOTO emerged after the transvesticide of Ayelén Gómez, perpetrated in August 2017. Her brutally murdered body was found under the stands of the Lawn Tennis Club before a rugby match. Some time ago, Ayelén had reported police officers for raping her. In January in Tucumán, Another trans woman was brutally murdered: Lourdes Reinoso.

Lourdes Reinoso in Tucumán

On the morning of Sunday, January 14, two women were stabbed to death in Río Nio, a small town 60 kilometers northwest of the city of San Miguel de Tucumán. Lourdes Reinoso, a 30-year-old trans woman, and her great-aunt Francisca Ofelia Palacio, 80 years oldThey were attacked with a knife, allegedly by Lourdes's ex-partner. The case is being handled by Prosecutor Diego López Ávila, who told Presentes that the accused is Julio Palladini. "We found that there was a previous complaint against the accused, which already included a restraining order, so we are talking about a person who allegedly murdered someone with whom he had a previous relationship. Another aggravating factor is the violence against women and the femicide."

Adriana Bonetto in Santa Fe

Adriana Bonetto was 45 years old and lived in San José del Rincón (Santa Fe province), where she was murdered. She was found dead this morning, lying on the floor of a house. She was found wrapped in a bloodstained sheet. She had multiple stab wounds on different parts of her body. This was reported today by the Public Prosecutor's Office of Santa Fe.

Sun in Santa Fe

A 24-year-old trans woman was murdered in Santa Fe. The body was charred; it was found in a garbage dump in Recreo—14 kilometers from the provincial capital—on Wednesday, March 7, but her identity was confirmed days later. This is the second transphobic murder in the province in a month. On February 8, Adriana Cuqui Bonetto, another trans woman, was murdered in San José de Rincón.  The victim's name is Sol, but the justice system is not respecting her gender identity and is referring to her using the initials of a male name. “The victim is a 24-year-old person whose initials are OOG. Prosecutor Andrés Marchi – after meeting with family members – requested that her identity not be released to protect the family's privacy,” the Public Prosecutor's Office announced on Friday the 9th.