The CHIRAPAQ team joined the hundreds of women who participated in Lima and Ayacucho of the marches on International Women’s Day. The demonstrations were held to demand more action by the State to address gender violence and achieve labor equity.

The first protests were carried out in the province of Vilcas Huamán, in whose capital was a multitudinous day never before lived by the population. Two hundred Quechua women staged a walk that reached the main square. A public recognition of indigenous women leaders in the area was part of the celebration.

In the city of Huamanga, capital of Ayacucho, social groups from different areas parade the city demanding access to women’s health and education, political harassment and gender violence.

Recently, the region has been the scenario of the most tragic cases of violence against women. Among them, the one of Arlette Contreras, who did not find support in the court system in spite of video proof of the aggression. Last month lawyer Evelyn Corahua Fabian was murdered after reporting her boyfriend for domestic violence.

These being the most common cases, there are still hundreds of indigenous women in Ayacucho, who in are also victims of violence, human trafficking and social exclusion. In the countryside and the city, CHIRAPAQ joined this day of protest to make their voices heard.

Meanwhile in Lima, the capital of Peru, the “March for Equality” began at dusk and toured the main streets of the city center.

In both cities the CHIRAPAQ team carried purple umbrellas with messages in favor of indigenous women and decent work.