Argentina's austerity measures under Milei put women at risk

• Public funding cuts, layoffs harm women
• Women find it harder to access state subsidies
• Women's rights and protection eroded

BUENOS AIRES - The early morning calls to Argentina's domestic violence helpline during the weekend night shift are the most desperate in a country where a woman is murdered every 35 hours, often at the hands of her partner.

"We get calls at 3 a.m. from women who say, 'My husband will come home drunk, and when he's drunk, he hits me,'" said Gabriela, a call operator at the government-run 144 helpline who did not want to give her full name.

Calls also come from women waiting for the police behind locked bathroom doors, while others say their husbands have installed cameras in the home to monitor them.

Call operators fear staff layoffs at the helpline, part of austerity measures introduced by right-wing libertarian President Javier Milei after he took office in December, mean the remaining six responders on some shifts will be unable to meet demand and provide help.

"It hurts to know that the work we do, with so much love, is underestimated. We help women in times of sadness, anxiety and desperation. What will happen to the women?" said Gabriela.

"There's no hope that things will get better. On the contrary, it will get worse," she told Context.

In Argentina, femicides - the intentional killing of women on account of their gender - reached a record level last year and have risen further since Milei took office, according to the nongovernmental organization La Casa del Encuentro, which tracks murders of women.

Its data show 136 femicides of women and girls were reported from January to June this year. Of these victims, about half were murdered in their home, and 20% had made a prior complaint.

'Serious situation'

Women's rights groups say the Milei government's deep budget and staff cuts at state agencies are part of a broader attack on gender equality that weakens protections for women, puts their lives at risk and condones gender-based violence.

Milei has shut the Ministry of Women, Gender and Diversity, moving those responsibilities to a human capital ministry.

He has called the women's ministry a type of "affirmative action" that is degrading toward women and unnecessary as the country's constitution already guarantees women's rights.

The Organization of American States, a Washington-based regional body, has said it is "deeply concerned" by the dismantling of the women's ministry, which could undermine Argentina's obligation to protect human rights.

The Milei government says it is slashing public spending to address Argentina's worst economic crisis in decades and high inflation that has pushed half the population into poverty.

But women's rights activists say such policies undo hard-won gains on gender equality and place a disproportionate burden on women.

"The government shows contempt for gender equality and denies there are structural causes of inequality," said Natalia Gherardi, head of the Latin American Justice and Gender Team (ELA), a women's rights group based in Buenos Aires.

"There have been drastic budget cuts for government programmes supporting victims of violence. It's a very serious situation. Beyond budget cuts and public policy changes, the government has enabled society to condone violence against women," she said.

For decades, Argentina has led Latin America in progressive policies promoting women's political participation and gender equality.

Argentina has also been a regional pioneer on reproductive rights, after the country legalised abortions up to 14 weeks from conception in 2020.

Such progress has been eroded in the seven months since Milei came to power and made "feminism public enemy number one," said activist Sofia Quiroga.

"There is now no state institution that supports victims of gender violence and provides a response," said Quiroga, program officer in Argentina for rights group Equality Now.

Women's rights groups also fear progress made on abortion rights is at risk. Milei has called the procedure a "tragedy" and during his election campaign vowed to hold a referendum to overturn the abortion law.

The government's anti-abortion stance, combined with public health budget cuts, have contributed to shortages of abortion and contraception pills in parts of the country, activists say.

The shortages could also set back efforts to reduce teenage pregnancy rates in Argentina in recent years, according to Diana Cabral, head of FunDheg, a gender equality non-profit in Argentina.

Widespread budget and staff cuts have also affected the government's Acompañar program, which provides victims of gender violence a monthly subsidy worth about $200 - equivalent to the minimum monthly wage - for a period of six months.

About 320,000 women and LGBT+ people received the aid from 2020 to 2023.

A report by ELA found that financial assistance has helped women gain economic independence and to buy equipment, like a sewing machine or juice maker, to start a small business.

"It was a way out, a help. Women felt safer. We were on the right path," said Gherardi.

The subsidy also allows women suffering domestic abuse to move away from a violent partner and pay rent elsewhere.

"Without the financial help, there's a risk that women are forced to return to their aggressors," said Quiroga.

According to a report by civil society organisations in Argentina, in the first two months of 2024, money spent on Acompañar and the domestic abuse helpline was reduced by 65%, meaning fewer women can access state subsidies and receive the help they need.

"It's not just about taking away funding from programs, but it's promoting a discourse of hate towards feminists. That's what worries me the most and what's most dangerous," said Quiroga.

(Reporting by Anastasia Moloney and Valen Iricibar; Editing by Ayla Jean Yackley.)