Journal, February 25

With Valentine’s Day on February 14^th, and the upcoming celebrations of International Women’s Day on March 8^th, countless events and workshops are being organized around women’s issues this month in Lima.   As Peru has one of the highest rates of sexual violence in Latin America, many of these events are seeking to address violence against women and families.  In 2011, the National Institute of Statistics and Information found that 4 in 10 women had been assaulted by their partners, with the majority being mothers between the ages of 26 and 35 with 1 to 3 children.  These alarming statistics speak to the culture of machismo and religious conservatism that permeates Peruvian and Latin American culture and perpetuates traditional gender roles and violence in society.  While the government is largely propped up by these values and has yet to seriously challenge them, it is beginning to work alongside civil society organizations to reduce violence, and has even been 

recognized internationally for its recent efforts.

As a volunteer at an Afro-Peruvian women’s organization, I have had the opportunity to attend several women’s events over the last few weeks, including two workshops on domestic violence organized by the Municipality of Brena, a workshop on identity and self-esteem organized by a women’s group in the poor urban district of Rimac, the launch party for a new book on Afro-Peruvian women’s slavery and resistance, and V-Day’s One Billion Rising. In addition, CEDEMUNEP is preparing to host our own workshop on identity and self-esteem later this week.  These events have provided me with a window into the contemporary and historical experiences of women in Peru, and some critical observations on approaches to women’s empowerment in the country.

While I commend the government for any efforts to reduce violence against women, I have to note the lack of men involved in these initiatives.  The workshops that I have seen have been directed at, and attended exclusively by women and children.  Participants usually receive a folder filled with brochures on violence and various community services, and they listen to short messages from representatives of various government and civil society organizations.  These messages generally focus on defining violence and helping women to recognize if they are in violent relationships, as well as informing them of the supports that are available to them in their area, such as help lines and free counseling services.  While this approach might help to empower women as individuals, I think that it is important that not all the responsibility for ending violence be placed on the shoulders of women.  As discussed in the literature on empowerment, successful empowerment initiatives must work to transform relationships and societal structures, as well as individuals.  If men, as the recognized perpetrators in most cases of sexual violence, are not educated and given the necessary tools to change their relationships with women, the situation will not improve.  One Billion Rising did a much better job of involving men, as the event was held on Valentine’s Day, and was attended by many couples. It also featured both male and female celebrities dancing side-by-side and spreading the message of non-violence.  However, I was concerned when the organizers celebrated the “safe space” that had been created at the event, thanks to all the (mostly male) police officers who were protecting us while we danced.  To me, male protection of women is just the flipside of male violence against women, because it perpetuates machista ideas of male dominance.  Therefore, their message seemed to empower men in the wrong way, and disempower women, which was unfortunately not at all what the organizers had intended.

It is exciting to see the growing women’s movement in Peru.  The countless groups that are emerging are making huge strides in raising awareness of violence against women and creating spaces for them to share their experiences and find support.  However, in the future I hope to see more widespread participation of women and men, and more careful attention to the underlying values that are perpetuated by the messaging of non-violence campaigns and programs.  Poco a poco.  Little by little.