For the first time in the Province of Heredia, Flores canton opens its doors to an exhibit that sheds light on the problem of femicide in Costa Rica

For the purpose of making visible and problematizing femicide as the greatest act of gender-based violence experienced by women in their diversity, in the canton of Flores this morning, the campaign "Those no longer here," was inaugurated with the placement of 15 life-size silhouette figures representing diverse women who were victims of femicide in 2021.

The Ministry of Justice and Peace and the Interinstitutional Technical Commission for Statistics on Coexistence and Citizen Security (COMESCO) were behind the campaign, along with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the InfoSegura UNDP-USAID project, partnering with a variety of local governments. It aims to raise public awareness of the problem of femicide and its impact on families, communities and society.

Participants included Minister for the Status of Women Cyndi Quesada Hernandez, representative of the Ministry of Justice and Peace, Oscar Delgado Cascante, President of the Commission for the Status of Women of the Legislative Assembly Carolina Delgado Ramirez, UNDP Resident Representative in Costa Rica José Vicente Troya, President of the Municipal Council and of the Commission on the Status of Women of the canton of Flores Lucrecia Calderón Ángulo, and the Vice Mayor of the canton of Flores Melissa Bernini Esquivel. In addition, relatives of the victims represented in the figures and representatives of public institutions and local organizations present in the canton also participated.

"All forms of violence must be eradicated. At the Ministry of Justice and Peace, we permanently work on awareness campaigns in the population and provide support to those who suffer from this scourge," added the Minister of Justice and Peace, Gerald Campos.

The aim of this campaign is to raise the urgent call for citizens to make a real commitment to the human rights of women. Passersby will read references about the lives of the murdered women, as told by their relatives, from their pain of loss and injustice, but also hope. They will also receive an invitation to seek help, and to report to 9-1-1 if they know of any victim of violence.

"It is urgent to promote and guarantee the rights of women to live free from violence. That is why we are meeting today to continue with the urgent and unfinished work of educating and raising awareness about the devastating effects of violence against women," said José Vicente Troya Rodriguez, UNDP Resident Representative.

 

 

From 2007 to 2021, 400 women lost their lives to femicide, according to data provided by the Observatory on Gender-Based Violence against Women and Access to Justice of the Judicial Branch.

"As local government, we call on the women in our community who are subjected to domestic violence to seek help, and to know that they are not alone, that they should not feel guilt or shame, and that the institutions represented here today are here to counsel and accompany them, but we also call on every neighbour to report any case of violence that comes to their attention," concluded Melissa Bernini Esquivel, Deputy Mayor of Flores.