Gender-based violence claims the lives of 11 women every day in Latin America and the Caribbean, making it a regional crisis. Defined as the intentional murder of a woman with a gender-related motivation, femicide can occur under many different circumstances, including intimate or former partner violence, honour killings and human trafficking. In 2021, the femicide rate in Uruguay per 100,000 women ranked eighth out of 18 countries and territories in Latin America. However, both the Uruguayan government and civil society groups have taken legal action and preventative measures to fight femicide.

Ending Gender-Based Violence

In 2017, the government decided to take action against disturbing levels of femicide in Uruguay with various legal reforms. This included Law no. 19.580, which specifically recognizes and defines femicide as a crime whilst sentencing perpetrators more severely than those guilty of homicide. As a result of this shift in legal focus, the state launched the Observatorio de Violencia Basada en Género hacia las Mujeres (OVBG), which collects and monitors data regarding gender-based violence in Uruguay, and ProMujeres, a program that focuses on gender equality and women’s empowerment, under the Ministry of Social Development. Funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), ProMujeres aims to enhance the work of Inmujeres, Uruguay’s National Institute of Women, thanks to the allocation of new funding.

The work of Inmujeres

Inmujeres is responsible for overseeing the OVBG, as well as monitoring the implementation of Law no. 19.580 and providing various services for women at risk of femicide in Uruguay. Most of these services include legal support, temporary shelter and telephone counselling for victims of gender-based violence.

Between 2020 and 2024, the organization offered their services to 16,821 victims of gender-based violence, as well as supporting 175 women in situations of human trafficking in 2022.

Furthermore, in 2020, the government announced a $4 million increase in funding for electronic ankle bracelets designed to distance perpetrators from victims, thereby preventing future cases of femicide in Uruguay. Inmujeres is also working to avoid femicide in Uruguay by running a campaign in schools across the country, called Noviazgos Libres de Violencia. The youth-orientated project aims to break the intergenerational cycle of intimate and former partner violence and reached around 13,000 young people in 2022 alone.

Building a Network of Prevention, Support and Awareness

In addition to legal reforms and state-run programs, there are various civil society groups working to fight femicide in Uruguay in numerous ways.

Mujeres de Negro (Uruguay) has been raising awareness about femicide in Uruguay since 2006. Based in Montenegro but part of a wider international movement, Mujeres de Negro (Uruguay) organises silent protests in remembrance of victims, as well as publicly advocating against gender-based violence and denouncing discrimination.

Comuna Mujer is another Montevideo-based organization fighting femicide, operating 14 centres across the region where women at risk of gender-based violence can receive free and confidential services. These services include legal and psychosocial support to help women escape situations of gender-based violence. Comuna Mujer’s impact on women at risk of femicide in Montevideo has been crucial, as the organization provided services to 5,063 women and carried out 15,896 consultations between 2023 and 2024.

Whilst offering support services for victims is essential, the Uruguayan Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (RUCVDS)  focuses on the prevention of gender-based violence, and their work has been extremely impactful across Uruguay. The RUCVDS is composed of over 30 civil society groups with over 25 years of experience, running a range of projects catered towards the prevention, awareness and research of gender-based violence.

One of these projects includes the 2021 “Nunca Más a Mi Lado” campaign, which included the re-release of the song “No Te Va Gustar” in order to promote healthy relationships and raise awareness about the dangers of romanticizing abusive partnerships. The campaign spanned over ten years and involved 100 workshops, including sessions inside female prisons, and all of the proceeds from the song’s re-release went towards projects preventing domestic violence

Femicide in Uruguay: The Challenges and Gaps

Despite the great work of both the state and civil society groups, Uruguay has not been able to keep up with the increasing demand for supportive and preventative services related to gender-based violence, and female participation in positions of power continues to be low.

Although the legal reforms in 2017 signalled the prioritisation of femicide as an urgent issue in Uruguay, efforts to fully implement the law have not yet been completely successful, according to Amnesty International, mostly due to a lack of resources. It is also important to recognise that marginalised groups are at a higher risk of femicide in Uruguay, since 86% of afro-descendant women and 92.5% of LGBTQ+ women reported being victims of gender-based violence, which is much higher than the national average of 77%

The Future

Uruguay’s success in its approach to fighting femicide lies in its decision to invest in prevention and monitoring, instead of just focusing solely on punishment. The eradication of femicide is a complex process, but with the investment of more time and resources, Uruguay is on the right track.

– Clodagh Dowson

Clodagh is based in Bradford on Avon, UK and focuses on Global Health and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr