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By Gabriela Cruz

Gala Estefanía Perea, a young trans woman from the town of Famaillá in Tucumán province, was found dead in her partner's home in the city of Lules, also in Tucumán. Gala was 19 years old and was in a relationship with Víctor Ezequiel Natalio Martínez. "It was an abusive relationship, but she was very much in love and covered for him," psychologist Verónica Figueroa from the Secretariat of Gender, Violence, and Women, which is part of the Famaillá municipality, told Presentes.

“We are supporting the family and we are going to seek advice from a lawyer specializing in human rights who is handling other cases of transfemicide so that he can help us ensure that this case is properly classified as a transfemicide,” Figueroa stated.

The Homicide Unit II of the Prosecutor's Office, headed by prosecutor Adriana Giannoni, confirmed to Presentes that they have taken over the case and are investigating the crime. Gala's body was found by police on Sunday afternoon at the home of 42-year-old Víctor Martínez, who was arrested at the scene. Police were alerted by Ángela Martínez, Víctor's sister, who went to the house after her brother called her.

"I was terrified of school because of the bullying I suffered."

“Gala had a very complicated life, with many economic and other kinds of hardships. And despite all these problems, she was very attached to this partner, even though she was the provider, the one who supported the relationship in every way,” explained Verónica Figueroa, who knew and spent time with Gala in her final years. “Her friends always wanted us to intervene because they saw that her relationship with her partner was very violent, but she was very much in love and always covered up the relationship, telling us that she wouldn't let him hit her,” Figueroa recounts, adding: “This is something we see a lot with trans women; physical violence doesn't scare them.”

[READ ALSO: Map of hate crimes in Argentina 2019]

The vulnerabilities faced by trans women are much more acute in the interior of the province, explains Verónica Figueroa. She details how, to access education or healthcare, these young women must travel to the capital city of Tucumán. “Traveling to San Miguel to study, or even to see a doctor, despite its proximity, is very difficult for them. And sex workers are completely unprotected; there is no legal framework to safeguard them, not even security measures, because their abusers are the primary perpetrators of violence,” adds the specialist, recalling that she herself didn't want to attempt to return to school to finish her studies. “She was terrified of school because of the bullying she endured her entire life,” she adds.

[READ ALSO: Transvesticide in Tucumán: two months later, it is confirmed that the victim is Cynthia Moreira]

According to relatives of Gala, who spoke to Presentes, her body was released to the family yesterday. The prosecutor's office did not provide further details about the investigation. "It's essential that girls in these kinds of abusive, violent relationships speak out and tell their stories, that they stop normalizing it, because for Gala, for example, jealousy and arguments were a form of love. Unfortunately, many have normalized it," Figueroa added.