A woman was murdered in a lurid femicide. The name of Valentina Trespalacios must be remembered forever in Colombia to rescue her dignity in the midst of systematic violence by violent men who silence the lives and bodies of women in the face of a too weak state that still does not offer sufficient guarantees to protect the victims. Nor does society do what is necessary to give a fair reflection that allows us to understand the substance of the problem and not revictimize with prejudices and justifications that are not appropriate.
There is nothing in Valentina’s personal life that allows the use of the “but” in the story. Her privacy should not be an annex to something that is, simple and unadorned, a brutal femicide by a delinquent, violent and psychopathic man who decided to end Valentina’s life taking advantage of her physical superiority. And then try to mock Colombian justice.
Unfortunately, the silence of the Government and the Vice Presidency that the Ministry of Equality now has is also surprising. For a government that has worried about being excessively symbolic, silence and distance also communicate. It is not the only case in recent days. January began with several femicides in the country. Angélica Treco González, 23, was brutally murdered in Yondó, Antioquia, apparently by her ex-partner.
Gina Paola Bocanegra, 22, appeared on January 2 on a road in Medellín. She was also murdered in a macabre way by another man. Dora Victoria Ortiz was shot in the abdomen in Calamar, Bolívar, and bled to death. Again a violent man murdered her without further ado.
Every day the media have to record these cases of abandoned, forgotten and humiliated women over whom their families cry due to the inaction of the authorities and justice that cannot stop the killing. Madam Vice President, Francia Márquez, where have you been to accompany these families and protect women from your new portfolio?
In addition to this, we do not stop forgetting that, despite multiple accusations of sexual harassment against Professor Víctor de Currea Lugo, it was he who decided on his own initiative to renounce the appointment made by the Foreign Ministry as ambassador to the United Arab Emirates . It was neither the president nor foreign minister Álvaro Leyva who suspended the appointment. Another silence for a government loaded with symbolism.
And only last Thursday did the Presidency publish a brief statement referring to the accusations of an alleged network of sexual exploitation in Congress. Although the complaint was made by one of the politicians closest to the Government, Palacio decided to pay attention to the case three weeks later and with the black cloud of a testimony against the director of Dapre, Mauricio Lizcano. Again, where have the lady vice president and the Ministry of Equality been?
The femicides must stop and the State must do what is necessary to stop them. Society must stop re-victimization and prejudice and undertake the duty to understand the complexity of the problem, to avoid accusations that only place responsibility and blame on the women victims or their families. And the media cannot abandon the discussion. 612 femicides in 2022 according to the Colombian Femicide Observatory is a terrifying figure that sends us a disastrous message as a society.
It is the current government that has the responsibility of reducing that figure and the course of bringing it to zero. And society jointly unite to be alert and protect women collectively at any sign of violence. Hopefully there will be less silence.
Director of NoticiasRCN.com
@santiagoangelp