Thousands of people marched in Buenos Aires and other Argentine cities on Wednesday to condemn violence against women, in protests that also spread to neighbouring Chile and Uruguay. The demonstrations, organised under the slogan 'Ni una menos' (Not one less), were sparked by a series of brutal killings that have shocked the nation.
In Buenos Aires, marchers carried banners and wore badges bearing the campaign's rallying cry, while some wore shirts with photos of victims of domestic violence. Argentine news agency Telam estimated that more than 200,000 people took part in the capital's rally. Women's rights groups, unions, political parties and the Catholic Church all backed the marches.
Football star Lionel Messi, who is supporting the movement, wrote on Facebook: 'Enough femicides. We join all Argentines today in shouting out loud 'not one woman less'.' President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner also condemned what she called a 'culture that devastates women' via social media.
Recent cases that have outraged Argentina include the murder in April of a kindergarten teacher by her estranged husband in front of her class in Cordoba province, and the killing of a 14-year-old girl whose boyfriend is accused of beating her to death because she was pregnant. Argentina adopted a femicide law in 2012 with tough penalties for domestic violence, but campaigners say the laws are not being effectively implemented.
