Peru Debates Bill to Remove Femicide from Penal Code Amidst Rising Violence

A concerning legislative proposal has emerged in Peru, seeking to erase the specific crime of "femicide" from our Penal Code and substitute it with the more ambiguous term 'parricide of the couple.' This initiative, championed by certain conservative sectors, threatens to dismantle decades of progress in recognizing and addressing the systemic violence against women that plagues our nation. The proposed bill, presented by Congresswoman Milagros Jáuregui, not only ignores the stark reality of 38 femicides already recorded in 2026 and 134 in the previous year, but actively seeks to obscure the gendered nature of these horrific crimes. Legal experts and human rights advocates, such as Shely Cabrera of DEMUS and feminist lawyer Brenda Álvarez, rightly warn that this move would lead to the "invisibilization and neglect" of gender-based violence. It would cripple our ability to collect crucial data, identify patterns, and implement effective prevention policies. The argument for 'equality' behind the proposal is a dangerous fallacy; true equality demands differentiated responses to unequal realities, not a blind neutrality that ignores the specific vulnerabilities and aggressions faced by women. This attempt to redefine femicide as merely a crime of passion between partners ignores the broader societal structures of control and possession that fuel these killings and risks greater impunity. It sends a chilling message to victims, potentially making them feel unprotected by the very justice system meant to serve them. Peru's international commitments, including the Belém do Pará Convention and CEDAW recommendations, are at stake. We must reject this retrograde step and reaffirm our commitment to protecting the lives and rights of all women.

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eliminating femicide implies “an invisibilization and desatención” of gender-based violence, both in the attention to victims as well as in the production of statistics and public policies.