After arriving at the Casa Rosada in December 2023, Milei dissolved the Ministry of Women, Gender and Diversity
By María Josefina Arce
In Argentina, a woman is murdered every 35 hours, a situation that society fears could escalate because President Javier Milei's fiscal adjustment plan does not exempt public policies aimed at protecting against gender violence.
After arriving at the Casa Rosada in December 2023, Milei dissolved the Ministry of Women, Gender and Diversity, which was created during Alberto Fernández's mandate (2019–2023) to promote gender equality, eradicate violence, and ensure women's and diverse groups' access to rights.
Experts point out that, by eliminating this institution, international conventions and national legislation have been overlooked, including the one that stipulates the executive branch must have a governing body to prevent, punish and end gender violence.
Furthermore, the authorities have announced the elimination of 13 programmes dedicated to preventing and addressing this issue, justifying their decision by claiming to have saved 6 billion pesos per year.
Among the eliminated initiatives is the Interministerial Programme for an Integral Approach to Extreme Violence, which focuses on preventing femicides and transfemicides by coordinating security forces, the judicial system, and health services.
The Acercar Derechos programme, which provided comprehensive support for women and LGBTI individuals experiencing violence, has also been discontinued.
The elimination of prevention and assistance policies has a significant impact, leaving more women at risk of becoming victims of gender violence, the extreme expression of which is femicide.
Civil society organisations have pointed out that gender violence unfortunately exists and worsens in contexts of poverty, which today affects a large proportion of the population.
They have denounced the fact that a state ignores this situation, thereby endorsing it and violating the human rights of a significant proportion of society.
Argentina is currently experiencing a clear setback in gender policy. The government of President Javier Milei has dismantled key programmes designed to protect citizens' rights, while promoting a discourse of discrimination and hatred.
