“Let’s take action to stop gender-based violence in Jujuy”

We are organizing an "Empowerment-based Self-defense" (ESD) training in Tilcara (Jujuy) so that territorial gender promotoras/ advocates can share violence prevention tools with their communities.

Context

Women in Tilcara face daily sexist violence from partners, family members, colleagues, bosses, and acquaintances, and institutional and state violence caused by ineffective responses and public policies.

Being a woman and gender nonconforming person in Argentina, and particularly in Jujuy -the Argentinean province with the highest rate of femicides- is dangerous. Being part of the indigenous campesinas movement makes it even more dangerous, doubly affected by sexist and institutional violence and patriarchal extractivism.

Discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, and race generates enormous institutional barriers to accessing fundamental human rights, such as justice, work, education, health, etc. Overloaded with unpaid care work, less access to registered jobs, and lower incomes than their male peers, they face multiple obstacles to economic independence and well-being.

Despite this, these women organize themselves to defend their rights and generate spaces for empowerment and autonomy. From their textile crafts project, MAKIWAN (with our hands), they formed a productive marketing network that brings together more than 200 textile artisans from the Quebrada and Puna Jujeña, forming a Network of territorial gender and rights promoters and advocates.

Today, they put their efforts into defending their territory against state extractivism, enduring police violence and repression illegitimately and unconstitutionally.

In this context, we say: enough. The only way to stop violence is to work on prevention and empowerment. Let's take action and say enough is enough!

What does the training consist of?

We work with the Empowerment-based Self-defense"(ESD) methodology, which aims to prevent, reduce, and mitigate violence in its different types and modalities. Through a comprehensive approach, we work with various techniques and resources to identify potentially dangerous situations, boundary settings, and response mechanisms.

The training includes online sessions, intensive face-to-face training, and a 6-month mentoring and accompaniment process, where the facilitators can practice the knowledge acquired and be part of a network of more than 80 Self-Defense instructors from all over Latin America.

Who will benefit from your donation?

Directly: about 15 indigenous, peasant, and artisan leaders from Jujuy will have the opportunity to be trained as self-defense and empowerment facilitators to prevent gender violence in their communities.

Indirectly: we estimate to reach 2,000 women through the workshops in two years.

Who is behind the campaign?

The Network of Self-Defense Instructors (RIA) Abya Yala, Arabelas Self-Defense and Makiwan. We are a group working together to end violence in our society, empowering people to take control of their lives through physical and verbal skills, inspired by the fundamental principle that our lives are worth fighting for and defending lives.

What have we achieved so far?

More than 108 Self-Defense facilitators trained in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Costa Rica, and the United States.

More than 6,700 people reached through workshops

We need your support! How can you collaborate?

$16 USD supports the transportation of a participant

$23 USD to support the feeding of a training participant

$27 USD supports the accommodation of a training participant

$50 USD support two women from the community to attend an IMPACT workshop

Our goal is to raise $5000 USD.