The launch of the observatory was attended by representatives of organizations such as the police, public institutions, and concerned parties. /Photo Juan Quintero / US Embassy
Monitoring of acts of violence against politically active women will take into account the 2023 intra-party elections for political parties and the 2024 general elections.
Iguartat researcher Vanessa Lara Rendon explained that she observes physical and digital violence against pre-candidates and candidates for all positions contested in the 2024 elections.
She said she plans to document and record attacks on social networks and internal denials of women’s candidacy by political parties. “We’re not just going to describe what’s happening to women, but we’re going to take as a parameter what’s happening to men in the (same) category of[candidates],” Lara explained. .
US Ambassador William Duncan said political violence remains an obstacle for women in public leadership and decision-making positions. “Women in El Salvador frequently face violence when they stand for election or take active roles in political parties,” the diplomat claimed.
The observatory is promoted by the National Democratic Institute (NDI), together with the United States Agency for Development (USAID), UN Women, and the Association of El Salvador Deputies and Mayors (Andryusas).
It will give us an opportunity to analyze and say to governments, ‘This is the reality,’ and what can governments do to ensure that women are guaranteed their rights? ” Miriam Bandes, Head of UN Women El Salvador Office
This is the 2021 test.
A similar watchdog documented 196 acts of violence before the election and on election day, February 28, 2021. Monitoring bodies were implemented in 49 municipalities.
The 2021 monitoring did not take into account the attack on the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) militants, which resulted in the assassination of Maria Gloria Rogel de Lopez on 31 January 2021.
The exclusion is due to the fact that it was a pilot exercise, according to Eduardo Nunez, director of NDI El Salvador. “We expanded the monitoring parameters,” he explained.
A democracy that does not represent women’s policies is neither healthy nor strong, and an election that does not create a level playing field is not a fair election. ” Eduardo Nunez, Central America NDI Director
“It will normalize.”
Cecia Rivas, a candidate for deputy congressional candidate in San Salvador state, criticized the existence of “selective justice” to investigate cases. “If it happens when officials are part of the regime, violence becomes the norm,” he said. He called on authorities to “be a role model, not an aggressor.”
Nuestro Tiempo deputy councilor John Wright Sol asserts that there are “big gaps in the law” in this area.
“Without a doubt, we are facing a very big challenge,” added Wendy Alfaro, Santa Tecla deputy for the Vamos party.
Source: Diario Elmundo
