Venezuela has been internationally recognized for the physical beauty of their women; just ask newly-crowned Miss Universe Dayana Mendoza. Yet that fame has a hidden side in the faces of thousands of women hurt by physical and mental violence. Not enough has been done to prevent violence against Venezuelan women according to a report released by human rights group Amnesty International (AI):Thousands of women in Venezuela live in a constant state of fear of violence from their partners, fear for their lives and the safety of their children. When a safety net is not provided, many women feel that they have no choice but to stay with their abuser or to be homeless and unable to support themselves or their children.
The AI report applauded a law passed last year designed to strengthen penalties for those who abuse women yet a senior AI official emphasized that “Venezuelan authorities must enforce it.” The study also noted that there are only three women’s shelters in the entire country and authorities “have not been properly trained” to handle crimes of abuse against women.
Sadly, violence against women is an all too common problem in the Americas; several cases of girls being raped in jail emerged in Brazil while Mexican police have been unable to solve the mysterious deaths of hundreds of women in Ciudad Juarez.
Image- BBC News
Sources- ABC News, BBC News, Amnesty International UK, The Latin Americanist, Reuters UK, El Universal
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