Thousands of women in Argentina marched last Wednesday in protest of the murder of 16-year-old Lucia Perez. The women walked down the streets of Buenos Aires, dressed in all black, demanding action to stop the increasing amount of violence against women worldwide. The day became known as 'Black Wednesday,' The Washington Post reports.
People worldwide shared their support through social media. The Twitter hashtag #MiercolesNegro was used to convey support and outrage over Perez’s brutal death.
Perez was taken outside her school on Oct. 8, and was allegedly drugged, raped and tortured by multiple men. According to The New York Times, three suspects have since been arrested in connection to her murder.
Murder and other forms of violence against women has been growing in Argentina in recent years. The Ni Una Menos website states that one women is killed in Argentina every 30 hours because of her gender. Luisa Caravalho, director of the United Nations Women Agency in the Americas and the Carribean, said that justice for these crimes is limited, with a 98 percent chance of immunity for the perpetrators.
Perez’s brother, Matias, published a letter on Facebook, describing the fear and pain his family has endured since his sister’s murder.
“We must be conscientious, yes, because this time it was Lucia’s turn to suffer this bestial gender violence,” he wrote, “but next time it could be you, or the person you love the most in the world.”
