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Many thousands took to the streets across Latin America on March 8 as part of International Women’s Day, amid a concerning rise in gender-based violence and government attacks on women’s rights. 

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Marching for IWD in Colombia. Photo: Ben Radford

In �ѱ������í��, Colombia, thousands marched from La América cemetery along one of the city’s main roads to the Plaza de las Banderas. Participants faced aggression from drivers attempting to cross the blocked road, endangering the safety of the march. 

Marchers chanted, sung and carried colourful placards bearing powerful messages such as “Neither submissive nor silent — but strong and empowered!” and “We want to live without fear!”. Chants of “This patriarchal system must be aborted!” and “Together on the streets until fascism falls!” rang out throughout the march. 

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Marching for IWD in Colombia. Photo: Ben Radford

Colombia has some of the highest rates of gender-based violence in Latin America — the country’s National Health Institute registered 106,601 cases of physical and sexual violence against women between January and September last year.

Colombia’s Ombudsman registered 745 femicides, which is the highest number in six years.

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International Women's Day march in Colombia. Photo: Ben Radford

In Peru, thousands took part in marches across the country, with many denouncing the Peruvian government’s failure to protect women from gender-based violence, as well as its regressive policies, such as a proposal to eliminate the women’s ministry.

In Lima, police blocked the march, physically assaulting protesters and using capsicum spray.

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International Women's Day march in Colombia. Photo: Ben Radford

In Argentina, thousands marched in cities across the country under the banner of an “International transfeminist, anti-racist, anti-fascist, anti-patriarchal, anti-capitalist and anti-patriarchal strike”. This follows nearly 2-million-strong protests last month against far-right president Javier Milei’s hateful rhetoric and assault on women’s and the LGBTIQ rights.

Milei’s government has launched devastating attacks against women since coming to power in December 2023. It eliminated the Ministry of Women, Gender and Diversity, stopped purchases of essential supplies for abortions, banned gender-inclusive language in all official documents, dissolved a government department responsible for tackling gender-based violence, and tabled a bill to recriminalise abortion.

The government also announced in January that it would remove the crime of femicide from the country’s penal code.

Ahead of the marches, the government released a provocative video that denied the existence of femicides, instead referring to them as “homicides against women”. It also blamed previous governments for “wasting” billions of pesos on “gender ideology” and falsely claimed that violence against women had fallen since Milei came to power.

Femicides have actually risen in the country, from at least 243 cases in 2023 to 295 last year.

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International Women's Day march in Colombia. Photo: Ben Radford

Across Latin America, there were 4324 cases of femicide registered last year — the actual number is higher due to underreporting. Moreover, this does not include the sexual assault, harassment and other forms of gender-based violence and discrimination that women face daily.

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International Women's Day march in Colombia. Photos: Ben Radford