We find the sentencing of both women to life imprisonment satisfactory and exemplary. Responds to social expectations and especially of Lucio’s family. The child’s life cannot be recovered. It is necessary to delve into the causes of why the murder was reached five years ago when Lucio suffered violence and sexual abuse. There were many events, many signs and no one saw them or no one wanted to see them or no one wanted to get involved: his father, his grandparents, the judge who gave them tenure, his teachers, all the health professionals who treated him in different circumstances, to cite only the most relevant. And it is not about blaming or taking responsibility for the perversion of his mother and her partner, but about going further and seeing what interventions could have prevented the tragic result. A change in social attitude is needed. We must all get involved and report the slightest suspicion of violence.
Since his murder occurred, there have been 39 others who have not received the same media coverage. 30% of the complaints for domestic violence are against children and adolescents, in 80% of the cases the perpetrators are the parents and in 75% are men, according to data from the Office of Domestic Violence (OVD) of the Court Supreme Court of the Nation. This reveals to us that we are immersed in a violent culture and that the paradigm of the child as a subject of rights is not yet internalized. Adults believe that they can do anything with children without respecting their rights or opinions.
There is no effective system that allows early detection of these cases. In most cases neither is a Judiciary that gets involved. When those who should care for these girls and boys violate them, then protection measures must be taken. However, the adolescents and children themselves do not know that they themselves can denounce. In many jurisdictions there are still no attorneys for the child. Many professionals do not want to get involved: they do not file complaints in hospitals, nor do teachers. In Justice there are no judges specialized in violence or gender perspective. In the Lucio case, when giving custody to the mother, there was no gender perspective. The gender perspective does not automatically imply giving care to the mother by reproducing the role of a stereotype, but it allows us to know that there are also women who cannot or do not want to maternity.
An interesting advance is the one that generates empowerment through Comprehensive Sexual Education (ESI) that allows children and adolescents to know more about their own bodies and their self-care, but we are far from complying with the law in all provinces and levels. We women were able to raise our voices against gender violence after the case of Alicia Muñiz, murdered by Carlos Monzón in the 1980s, and yet forty years later we had to come up with the Ni Una Menos because the violence continues. In the 90s, the LGBT movement began to protest forcefully against violence and hate crimes, but there is still a lot of impunity and invisibility.
Today there is greater visibility and sensitivity about these violence. Many laws have changed, there are some protocols, statistics are missing and there is still a lot to be done but progress is being made. In terms of violence against girls, boys and adolescents, there is not the same awareness. They are one of the most vulnerable groups and have no political representation. It is difficult, for the preservation of their identity, to hear their voices in the first person in the media. Let’s hope that Lucio rests in peace and that his case is a turning point. It is about a serious paradigm shift and a collective awareness that makes everyone in different roles take care of caring for all children in all aspects. Not a kid or a girl less.
Doctor of Law and Professor of Human Rights and Civil Law at the Law School of the University of Buenos Aires – President of the Citizen Association for Human Rights.
Source: Ambito
David William is a talented author who has made a name for himself in the world of writing. He is a professional author who writes on a wide range of topics, from general interest to opinion news. David is currently working as a writer at 24 hours worlds where he brings his unique perspective and in-depth research to his articles, making them both informative and engaging.
