Bibiana Aido: Latin America is advancing the gender agenda in the most sophisticated way'

"In recent years, Argentina, Panama, and Ecuador have eliminated these departments under the pretext of cutting public spending, despite the enormous challenges faced by half the continent's population. Gender-based violence remains an emergency: in 2023, 3,897 women were victims of femicide in Latin America and the Caribbean at least 11 women died every day simply for being women. In the world's most unequal region, poverty often disproportionately affects women."

"More than 17 years ago, when she was appointed Spain's first Minister of Equality at just 31 years old, she understood that she had become a target of the patriarchy simply for existing. The difference, she asserts, is that at that time, she didn't even know how to identify that type of violence. You normalized it in a way. It was like the price of being in politics. You were supposed to put up with it, to receive insults every day."

Some countries in the region have eliminated ministries for women, often justified as public spending cuts, despite persistent gender inequities. Gender-based violence remains an emergency: in 2023, 3,897 women were victims of femicide in Latin America and the Caribbean, with at least 11 women dying every day for being women. Poverty disproportionately affects women in the region, and women occupy only 35.8% of parliamentary seats. Political violence against women has been normalized historically, but laws and political participation strategies are increasingly emerging to address political violence and include prevention elements.

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