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Chanting “Ñande derechokuéra rehe ha topa opáichagua jejahéi” / “For our rights and against all forms of violence,” hundreds of women from the city and countryside, activists, political parties, members of various civil society organizations, and independent women marched under the hot November sun in Asunción. Marches also took place in Concepción, Ciudad del Este, and Encarnación.

This year, the mobilization for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (#25NPy) took place against a backdrop of escalating authoritarianism and machismo under the Cartes administration. The Articulation denounced the structural violence that disproportionately affects women and gender-diverse individuals, manifested in the persecution of dissidents and human rights defenders. This is evidenced by the national government's lack of commitment to guaranteeing access to health, education, land, decent work, medication, and adequate medical care.

Last month, opposition members of parliament expressed concern about the President's intention to initiate a debate on amending the National Constitution under the pretext of providing more economic resources to municipalities, but with the risk of introducing the possibility of presidential reelection. In February, senators aligned with the Colorado Party removed Kattya González, one of the opposition senators who received the most votes in the country. This practice continues against other female opposition legislators who are systematically subjected to violence and political persecution.

💥🟣🇵🇾 #25NPy #InternationalDayAgainstViolence From Asunción, Paraguay, feminist organizations are gathering to march and demand justice from the Paraguayan State for the 27 femicides and 40 attempted femicides so far in 2024. pic.twitter.com/DWrhRUTXbW

— @presenteslatam.bsky.social (@PresentesLatam) November 25, 2024

The gathering began at 5:30 p.m. in Plaza Uruguaya and departed at 7:00 p.m. for Plaza de la Democracia. Several organizations intervened in the public space with artistic expressions on the scorching asphalt. Casa Diversa and Enborrador, a theater under construction, presented three performance art installations of trans artivism featuring dance, theater, and classical music.

Activists from Emancipa Paraguay marched in silence, warning of a dystopian future that is increasingly becoming a reality in Paraguay. In Margaret Atwood's novel, anti-rights and fundamentalist groups impose a theocratic system, found the Republic of Gilead, and curtail the rights and freedoms of women and LGBTQ+ people. They sought to highlight the risk of losing rights historically won by symbolic minorities.

In Democracy Square, the feminist manifesto of the Articulation was read aloud, denouncing the advance of the fascist far right, which poses a danger to the population. "Today we live co-opted by the narco-government, directed and orchestrated by Cartes, which responds to the policies of the International Monetary Fund," the spokeswomen stated.

Some signs, like those that read “Don’t let reporting cost you your life,” “The police don’t protect you,” and “Don’t let them silence you, we’re with you,” point to a sad reality that is chronically repeated in the country: cases in which women report gender violence at police stations. But the institution and its officials, who should be investigating and protecting the victim, dismiss the reports and shelve the cases. 

In this regard, the coalition also demanded compliance with Law 5.777 and that the State guarantee comprehensive protection for women. According to data from the Public Prosecutor's Office, 27 femicides and 40 attempted femicides were recorded. Fifty-eight children were orphaned this year alone. 

Despite the pervasive violence in all its forms, the political work of the diverse women who put their bodies on the line and organized the mobilization yet again this year was cause for celebration. The voices of the demonstrators united to demand the right to live in a country where they can be, as a girl's sign proclaimed, "Free, powerful, alive, and without fear."