The murder of the journalist Hanalí Huaycho Hannover, that has been
perpetrated by her husband, on february 12th in the city of El Alto
(La Paz), has scandalized the Bolivian population, causing Government, law
enforcement and media system to initiate a task to catch the murderer, who is now
a fugitive.
According to preliminary investigations, the
journalist, employee of an important news channel in Bolivia, died of several stab wounds inflicted
with a sharp object by her husband, Jorge Clavijo, a Police officer, who fled
after committing the crime. Also, their son, Carlos Clavijo, age 5, would have witnessed
the murder. Moreover, Hanalí’s mother was assaulted by the murderer, receiving
stabs and being cared for in a hospital after the incident.
The journalist murder originated several reactions on female population
and on various NGO’s that protect women’s rights, who demanded justice for Hanalí
Huaycho and requested the immediate consideration of the bill of an Integral
Law against Violence towards Women. This bill is currently on the stage of
approval in the Delegate House of the National Legislative Assembly.
According to investigations, the journalist died of bleeding as a consequence
of the injuries. Nevertheless, before she passed away, she had to be moved to
three hospitals, in which didn’t existed enough space for her to be attended,
until she finally arrived to the Hospital Obrero in the city of El Alto, where
she entered in the intensive care unit.
Having Hanalí Huaycho been attacked on a holiday (Carnival), most of the
hospitals were full of patients who have been entered due to alcohol poisoning,
and apparently, her life or death situation wasn’t given the required
importance to, and even less regarding the presence of violence that caused the
injuries.
This situation shows the reality in Bolivia about the comprehension
level on the violence against women issue, it isn’t considered in order of its
importance nor its urgency, which is also reflected in the health area.
Hanalí Huaycho’s case is an atrocious feminicide, and
the diligence and coordination with which the Police and the Bolivian
Government have proceeded, need to be acknowledged, because they have deployed
their work to the point that the journalist’s husband has been suspended from
the Police Corps, having closed borders and notified 182 countries for his
detention by Interpol.
However, a question appears about if the procedures
followed by the named institutions on this case shouldn’t have been applied on
other (and perhaps more atrocious) feminicide cases.
There is another question mark about if Hanalí
Huaycho’s husband wouldn’t have been a member of the Police Force, would the procedures
have been equal fast and diligent? Would borders have been closed, or other
measures, like notifying other countries for the murderer’s capture, would had
been taken?
On the other hand, it is also important to consider that the bill of Integral
Law against Violence towards Women, tries to approach every aspect and
necessary measures in order to face violence against women. Yet, the Law No.
1.674 against Violence in the Family, enacted in 1995, has been a fighting
policy against women’s aggressions, and has been the unique law applied on the subject
for the last 17 years.
There have been various gaps in the law’s text, and it
has been deficient in its application. Through the years, women organizations
and NGO’s have presented several proposals and bills to the government in order
to improve the system against violence towards women, but it has ignored those until
now.
In spite of that, is it necessary a long time to
create a new law that tries to respond to women’s reality facing violence? Is
it necessary that more feminicides occur, for the State to take conscience that
important changes have to be made in order to fight effectively against
violence towards women?
And finally, it must be taken into account that the mere existence of
laws that seek to deal with violence against women does not solve the problem.
It is necessary that the Government should assume the responsibility to comply
with established laws. It is also required that the Government should work
primarily in preventive and educational actions, coordinating with social
organizations. But above all, it is essential that the population should
understand that violence against women will not affect only to them, but to all
who surround them, mostly children, and if there is a society that grows and
lives with violence, then that society will be violent. Therefore, we need a
conscious effort, committed and coordinated, so that the goals of peace and
respect for women’s human rights can be achieved.
·
By
Rodrigo Soria.
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