Argentina's Ni Una Menos march: Women protest gender violence amid rising femicides

Thousands of women converged on Argentina's Congress for the 11th federal march of the Ni Una Menos collective, a powerful demonstration against gender-based violence. The protest gained urgency amid the shock of the recent femicide of Agostina Vega, a 14-year-old girl murdered in Córdoba.

Under the slogan “Vivas, libres y desendeudadas nos queremos” (We want to be alive, free, and debt-free), groups mobilized through the center of Buenos Aires, culminating at the Parliament where a document was to be read. Banners depicting the faces of the 100 women murdered in Argentina this year, an average of one every 31 hours, lined the area around the Legislative Palace.

Participants, many wearing violet – the historic color of the gender equality movement – carried signs with personal pleas for justice. One read, “Your absence hurts but your memory is my refuge of peace. Forbidden to forget you! Alicia Vallejos present.” Another demanded justice for Florencia Albornoz, whose alleged killer, Miguel Ángel Mazo, had not faced judicial action.

The march also reflected broader discontent, with some protesters linking the fight against gender violence to criticism of the current social and economic policies. Sofía Simonetti, 29, expressed her motivation: “I come because I have a 9-year-old daughter whom I want to instill with everything we women have been experiencing for many years: taking care of each other. I think it's important to be united in this fight because everything that is happening is very sad.”

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Tu ausencia duele pero tu recuerdo es mi refugio de paz. ¡Prohibido</i> olvidarte! Alicia Vallejos presente