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News updated on May 5th

On the night of Monday, May 4th, Isidora Caris, a 30-year-old trans woman, was on the streets of Santiago, ready to begin her usual day of providing sexual services to survive. It was around 7:00 p.m., and she was with six other women when a man got out of a car at the corner of Américo Vespucio and Aurora and opened fire on them with a pellet gun. Isidora suffered over a hundred wounds to her face. The others sustained minor injuries.

Priscilla Riquelme was a witness. She was there doing HIV prevention work, distributing condoms, when one of the pellets hit her arm. She told Presentes that it all happened very quickly and that they didn't have time to run for cover because when they saw the car slow down, they thought it might be a customer. “To our surprise, it was a transphobic attack in a matter of seconds. The man fired and fled. Isidora fell to the ground, and we immediately left, but when we saw that she couldn't get up, we went back and saw her with her face destroyed and covered in blood.”

Priscilla says it was difficult to find help to get her to a hospital. After a while, an acquaintance passed by and offered to take them to a clinic. When they arrived, the doctors on duty indicated that due to the severity of her injuries, she needed to be transferred to Sótero del Río Hospital. Upon arrival, she was immediately taken to Salvador Hospital for emergency surgery. 

As of the closing of this note, Isidora was out of danger, but the latest medical information as of May 5 is that she lost all vision in one eye and that the other is "very compromised," said Priscilla, since the pellets were made of metal.

On the morning of Wednesday the 5th, representatives of the Amanda Jofré union, the Trans Women's Front Organization and the Iguales Foundation protested in the vicinity of the hospital where the victim remains.

Also present was Undersecretary Katherine Martorell, who told local press that the Investigative Police and the Public Prosecutor's Office are working to find those responsible for this and other episodes of violence in the same area, and that they have already identified two groups as the main suspects. “The most important thing here is to emphasize that as a society we cannot allow these kinds of actions. We have to accept ourselves in our diversity, because it is that diversity that gives value to who we are as a country,” she stated. 

They demand justice and security.

The sex workers belonging to the Amanda Jofré union, to which Isidora belongs, are organizing to file a formal complaint with the Carabineros (Chilean police). They are also planning to take to the streets to demand justice and safety so they can work. This is the second attack in the last two weeks. 

On April 20th, performer, activist, and sex worker Canela Inbenjamin and other colleagues were finishing their shift when four men attacked them with punches, stones, and sticks. Because of this incident, the union requested assistance from the Undersecretariat for Crime Prevention. To date, they have received no response.

“The social vulnerability we face and the lack of job opportunities force many of our colleagues to risk their lives on the streets every day. Sex work is the main source of income for our community, and its lack of regulation leads to these acts of violence, pimping, and even human trafficking. We will not rest until we obtain justice and reparations,” said Alejandra Soto, president of the organization, in a statement released Tuesday morning.