Jorgelina's femicide in Chaco: one person has been arrested for the abuse and murder of the Wichi teenager.
Jorgelina's body showed signs of sexual abuse. Her community demands justice and an end to the media violence.
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CHACO, Argentina. On Sunday the 20th, at midday near the cemetery in the town of El Sauzalito, in the El Impenetrable region, a man stumbled upon a completely naked and lifeless body. It was Jorgelina Reinoso, a 16-year-old member of the Wichi community and granddaughter of the community's chief, "Chicho" Reinoso. The community is located in an area far removed from the town of El Sauzalito.
Francisco Morales Bordón, the prosecutor in the town of Pompeya in charge of the case, told Presentes that the identification was carried out by a sister of Jorgelina.
The deep impenetrable forest lies more than 600 kilometers from the capital of Chaco province, a territory inhabited by both Creoles and Indigenous peoples. For years, Indigenous communities have been demanding real and urgent attention to the violence they face and their lack of access to rights.
The investigation
So far, the preliminary forensic report indicates that the cause of death was a head injury. He also suffered significant blows to the jaw, and the body showed signs of sexual abuse. The results of the semen analysis are pending.
The prosecution has focused on a young man who was Jorgelina's partner, a 14-year-old minor. Following a raid on his home, the prosecution reported that clothing was seized. Forensic analysis is pending. The case is being handled by the Juvenile Court Judge of Misión Nueva Pompeya. Marisa Grabosky, advisor for minors, and the Comprehensive Protection Unit of Castelli are also involved.
But on Monday night, a Creole man showed up at the El Sauzalito police station to say that his son, a 24-year-old, had confessed to the crime.
A search was conducted to find the young man, and his immediate arrest was ordered. His house was then searched to gather evidence.
Justice and distance
The Impenetrable region faces many long-standing problems: lack of access to healthcare. There is no permanent infrastructure or professionals. There are also no supplies or social assistance.
The justice system also has resource problems, and the Multi-Jurisdictional Prosecutor's Office in the town of Pompeya has to transport the evidence for expert analysis to a distance of more than 100 km.
“We are often criticized for the slowness of the justice system. Many times this is due to a lack of resources. For example, these delays occur when transferring a victim to another location. When it rains, it becomes even more difficult,” said Prosecutor Morales Bordón.
Sexual abuse and femicides outside the communities
The Wichi community is a peaceful and respectful people with a rich ancestral culture. Their most profound expressions are found in their handicrafts. They are a people known for patiently awaiting responses to their demands.
In recent months, a large number of sexual abuses against girls from the three Indigenous communities of the Chaco province (Qom, Wichi, and Moqoit) have been reported and suffered. Many of these cases are also femicides. The communities are demanding that the State take action to stop this violence. The femicides often occur outside the communities. The communities denounce that they are due to racism and discrimination by non-Indigenous men.
On Monday, the Wichi community of El Sauzalito blocked the road to protest the femicide of Jorgelina and demand justice “without partisan political bias.” They added: “We want to say enough is enough to so much suffering, discrimination, and cruelty against us as the Wichi people, and against our daughters, girls, and women.”
Sexual abuse is so common in the area that the organization “ Mothers Protecting Against Child Sexual Abuse
Media violence
Another demand from the community is that a limit be placed on the media violence perpetrated against Indigenous peoples by the media. Discrimination and revictimization are very common. One example in this case was the dissemination on the Pórtico Noticias of a video of Jorgelina's body, a video that went viral on social media. The group "Protective Mothers Against Child Sexual Abuse" condemned these practices on their social media accounts.
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