The Argentine government has modified the Acompañar program, a crucial assistance plan for victims of gender-based violence, introducing significant changes to its implementation.
This program, originally created by the Ministry of Women—now downgraded to a sub-secretariat under President Javier Milei’s administration—aims to provide economic support and promote the autonomy of women and LGBTI+ individuals who suffer from violence.
With the recent changes, victims seeking assistance must now present, in addition to the usual social report, a judicial or police report of gender-based violence. Furthermore, the period during which economic assistance is provided has been reduced from six months to three. These changes occur within a complex political and social context in Argentina, where the debate over gender-based violence has gained significant prominence.
Milei’s controversial decision to shut down the Ministry of Women has caused strong reactions in a country where femicides and violence against women remain serious issues. Calls to the 144 helpline, dedicated to assisting victims of gender-based violence, increased significantly following former First Lady Fabiola Yáñez’s accusation of gender-based violence against former President Alberto Fernández.
Milei criticized what he called “progressive hypocrisy,” stating, “The solution to the violence perpetrated by psychopaths against women is not to create a Ministry of Women, not to hire thousands of unnecessary public employees, not to implement gender courses, and definitely not to assign responsibility to all men simply for being men,” the president said.
This case, as thousands of women situation, highlights the persistence of patriarchal structures and the symbolic and physical violence that many women face daily. Gender-based violence, beyond individual cases, should be understood as an expression of a power structure that perpetuates the domination and control over women’s bodies and lives. In this sense, femicide is not just a criminal act but a message that reinforces the subordination of women in society. Rita Laura Segato, a renowned anthropologist and feminist, has been a key voice in analyzing these power dynamics. According to Segato, “every act of violence, as a discursive gesture, bears a signature,” meaning that gender-based violence is not an isolated act but a manifestation of a “language of power” that seeks to dominate and control. For her, gender-based crimes are messages within a patriarchal structure that uses women’s bodies as a territory of domination, where a woman’s life is sacrificed to perpetuate a social order that benefits the perpetrators.
This perspective helps us understand that recent policies in Argentina, such as reducing the duration of economic assistance and requiring a judicial or police report, not only make it more difficult for victims to access protection but also may be seen as part of a system that downplays the severity of gender-based violence and revictimizes those who suffer from it. “The state must be present”, as it is imperative to continue analyzing and denouncing gender-based violence as a structural problem that requires comprehensive responses and public policies that protect victims and work towards eliminating the power inequalities that perpetuate it.