Gender-based violence surges in Rosario and Dominican Republic

A surge in gender-based violence has sparked public outcry and mass protests. In Rosario, a series of violent incidents occurred within a 16-day period, including three deaths and one attempted femicide. Victims identified include Carina Candelas, Gabriela Banach, and Débora Bordón, alongside a 19-year-old woman who survived an attack. Protesters marched under the slogan “Nuestras vidas están en emergencia” (Our lives are in emergency) to demand action.

Psychologist and researcher Natalia Amatiello, of the Civil Association of High Studies in Violence and Sexual Abuse (Aevas), attributed the wave of attacks to a national context of “discursive cruelty and the withdrawal of the State” in preventing gender violence. In one specific case, a suspect was charged with triple aggravated homicide for the killing of a former partner involving cruelty and gender-based aggravating factors.

In a separate incident in the Dominican Republic, authorities arrested a man following a brutal attack on his partner. Preliminary reports indicate the assailant fired up to fourteen shots at the victim before repeatedly running over her body with a vehicle. The victim remains in critical condition in intensive care with multiple gunshot wounds and severe crush injuries.