By Yanina López, from Posadas (Misiones) Photos: Courtesy of Misiones Online [NEWS UPDATED 7/31] A 27-year-old trans woman publicly reported that on Sunday, July 21, after being verbally and physically assaulted by two young men, she sought help from police officers in Posadas. The victim, Andy V, reported that the officers beat her and detained her inside the Third Police Station of the Regional Unit. She filed a complaint with Prosecutor's Office No. 1 and with the INADI (National Institute Against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism) delegation in Misiones. She is currently being supported by the civil association "From the Street to Dignity." The organization requested the intervention of the Ministry of Human Rights, where the official complaint was filed. This has already been forwarded to the Ministry of Government. "I hope that justice is served, that the aggressors are caught, and that society becomes aware of these attacks," Andy V told Presentes.

The events he reports

Andy says it all started after he left a nightclub around 6 a.m. with two friends to go to the bus stop located at the corner of Cabred and Uruguay streets in the provincial capital. “We arrived at the bus stop eating a hot dog and started hearing murmurs from two guys who were there. They started talking louder and one of them said: All gay people must be killedThere, my friend angrily asked the man who was speaking, "What's wrong with you?" and he responded directly with a punch. My friend fell, and that's when I decided to intervene. I was also punched and kicked. My leg still hurts," Andy recounted in an interview with Presentes. He then decided to seek help at the Third Police Station, which is located a few meters from the scene. "I arrived and started desperately calling for help. I yelled many times, but the police officers inside just looked at me and ignored me. I sat in front of the door yelling for them to help me, but they did nothing. I was crying because my leg hurt. I stayed there for about half an hour, called 911, and no one answered. That's when I decided to go to the station to ask for help there, but when I tried to cross the street, I fell. The police officers just stared at me until then, but I clearly heard one of them say..." This guy needs to be put in jailThat's where they grabbed me and took me to the back of the police station. While they were taking me, I only felt blows to my face. Then they left me lying there inside. Andy says that, when she was able to speak, she told the police officers that she would let Congressman Roque Gervasoni, a provincial deputy for the Renewal Front of Concordia, know what was happening. According to Andy, the officers then "started talking among themselves and finally decided to take me out of there," she explained to Presentes.

LGBT hate and discrimination when reporting

The Misiones Provincial Police told Presentes that between Saturday night and Sunday morning, a young woman appeared outside the Third Police Station in a state of “exaltation and emotional vulnerability,” where she was only screaming and complaining of pain in her leg. The police claimed they “didn’t know how to proceed since the young woman was only screaming, she was unintelligible, and she remained on the ground.” According to what they told Presentes, they decided to call an ambulance. The “official” version stated that they “attended to her, comforted her, and assisted her at all times; we categorically deny having detained her at the police station.” “Trans people are constantly persecuted,” stated Dana Valiente, a leader of the organization De la Calle a la Dignidad (From the Street to Dignity), who is currently supporting Andy V. “There is a very serious average of colleagues who cannot file their complaint due to homophobia, transphobia and discriminationWe recently held a public march against police brutality. And pIt seems they are unaware of the gender identity law“,” the activist stated. Valiente requested the intervention of the Ministry of Human Rights, headed by Lilia Marchesini, who, after being informed of the situation by Congressman Gervasoni, visited the young woman with him. “We went to her house on Sunday and listened to her entire testimony. The following day, she filed a report with the Ministry, and we forwarded it to the Minister of Government, Marcelo Pérez, so that he could take action against the officers at the police station.”

The figures on discrimination

The National Institute Against Discrimination, Xenophobia, and Racism in Misiones stated that “the most frequent complaints are for jokes, insults, and verbal abuse, but not physical assaults. In cases related to sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression, we had 8% in 2016, 19% in 2017, and it dropped slightly to 12% in 2018. Today, at the end of July, we are at almost 20%,” explained Julián Seniuk, delegate of the government organization. When asked about training on sexual diversity issues for official institutions, he recalled that “the last training sessions were held in 2017 and 2018, both with the participation of the Provincial Police. However, sometimes it is not possible to work with all the personnel of the force,” the official explained to Presentes.