President Boric participates in 8M commemoration with Prime Minister of Spain
The President highlighted the measures that have been taken in favor of women during his two years in office.
On International Women’s Day, President Gabriel Boric, together with the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, participated in an 8M commemoration ceremony in La Pintana, Santiago. Spain’s Prime Minister is currently on a state visit to Chile.
The heads of state attended the activity hosted by the mayor of the municipality, Claudia Pizarro. The Women and Gender Equity Minister, Antonia Orellana, was also invited to attend.
President Boric stressed the importance of eradicating violence against women. In this regard, work is being done in four key areas: economic violence in the form of parental abandonment and non-payment of alimony; sexual violence mainly affecting girls and adolescents; physical violence, which between 2022 and 2023 cut short the lives of 84 women, mothers, daughters and sisters; and psychological violence, which deteriorates the mental health of thousands of women each day.
In that sense, he highlighted the progress made in this area during his two years in office, and the work that continues to be carried out in favor of women’s rights.
Women’s Day: Measures implemented
- Economic violence: We implemented the National Debtors Registry and activated a mechanism for the effective payments of alimony debts. This has allowed for the payment of $162 billion Chilean pesos (US$168 million) in debts through AFP pension funds, which has benefitted more than 50,000 families.
- Sexual violence: We incorporated sexual assault into the Explicit Health Guarantees (GES). This has allowed for care to be given to more than 2,000 people, more than 800 of whom are minors. It has also allowed us to increase the identification of pregnancy through rape by 1.8 times, via the IVE Law, as a result of better coordination among state institutions.
- Physical violence (femicides): We enacted the law of reparations for victims of femicide and their families, as a state response to the extreme violence experienced by hundreds of women and their families. Nine months after its enactment, 26 pensions have already been provided to children and adolescents who have lost their mothers as a result of femicide.
- Physical, psychological and sexual violence: We increased National Women’s Service (SERNAMEG) resources and improved the care it provides to women who experience violence. In 2023, the service supported 328,493 women, and it is expected to help between 24,000 and 32,000 more in 2024.
- We obtained approval of the law to prevent, punish and eradicate violence against women (comprehensive law against violence). Discussion of the bill was reactivated and prioritized by our government through the Women and Gender Equity Ministry.
- We are fulfilling the President’s commitment to have a Specialized Care Center for Gender Violence in each of Chile’s regions, to address the most urgent needs of women who experience violence throughout the country. This year, we will open 10 new centers (Tarapacá, Coquimbo, O'Higgins, Maule, Biobío, Araucanía, Magallanes, Arica, Ñuble and Aysén), which will join the 12 already in operation, in order to cover all regions of the country.