The undersigned civil society organizations and individuals express our deep concern about the environment of political violence in Venezuela in the context of upcoming elections. Persecution and political violence are recurring and common in the country, condemnable in all cases, with a differentiated dimension and impact on the participation of women.
Women in Venezuela have historically been victims of discrimination and inequality in the exercise of their political rights, especially in the possibility of being elected and participating in the direction of the country’s public and political affairs. This situation continues to affect the leadership of women, who are underrepresented in the highest positions and decision-making spaces. One of the factors that directly impacts the participation of women is gender-based political violence, a growing phenomenon that undermines the fundamental rights and active participation of women in the country’s political and public life.
In recent months, the attacks against women’s rights activists and women with political roles or aspirations have escalated. In this regard, we warn about the existence of systematic practices that constitute patterns of persecution and political violence against women, which include death threats, physical aggression, deprivation of liberty and other forms of intimidation; also about specific threats and acts of violence such as harassment and psychological, verbal, and physical violence, among others. This situation extends to cases of gender-based digital violence, which affects public debate and the guarantees for the free expression of communicators, leaders and human rights defenders.
We also warn about the worrying trend of the instrumentalization of women to carry out acts of political violence against men. According to recounts, when men are the victims of this type of violence, the perpetrators are frequently women, with the intention of using gender-based violence as a ground to denounce any response to the aggression. We condemn the instrumentalization of protection, women and violence.
In Venezuela, gender-based violence is inserted in a context of widespread persecution and criminalization documented by international bodies such as the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the International Fact-Finding Mission, among others, which have shown that the violations of the right to political participation are not isolated cases but rather strategically planned systematic actions that seek to censor, repress and control different actors, including political activists, with a differentiated impact on female political leaders.
Fueled by specific content with openly sexualized connotations, this situation violates human rights, women’s right to a life free from violence and democratic principles while undermining the domestic and international efforts to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls under the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence against Women (Belem do Pará Convention) formalized the definition of violence against women as a human rights violation and established for the first time the development of mechanisms for the protection and defense of women’s rights as part of the efforts to eradicate violence against their physical, sexual, and psychological integrity, both in the public and private spheres, leading to the creation in 2004 of the Follow-up Mechanism to the Belém do Pará Convention and its Committee of Experts, to whom we urge to make recommendations for the Venezuelan case.
Article 19 of Venezuela’s Organic Law on the Right of Women to a Life Free from Violence -reformed in 2021- incorporates 4 sub-clauses that define political violence as “any act that, through coercion, intimidation or any other form of violence, restricts, impairs or makes impossible the free exercise of women’s political participation in conditions of equality and equity in elected office, public function and organizations with political purposes, trade unions, community associations, social movements and people’s power organizations”.
Likewise, the Law incorporates the crime of political violence in Article 65, which states that “Whoever restricts, impairs or makes impossible the free exercise of women’s political participation in conditions of equality and equity in elected office, public function and organizations with political purposes, trade unions, community associations, social movements and people’s power organizations, either through coercion, intimidation or any other form of violence, will be punished with prison for three to eight years.”
Given this, we categorically demand the Venezuelan Government in general and its political operators, in particular, to cease any type of political persecution against women, especially by their own officials and authorities, and guarantee the protection of women in the political sphere, with special reference to women candidates for the upcoming elections, public officials and activists, regardless of their political affiliation, to ensure the exercise of their political rights without fear of reprisals or violence of any kind. We strongly condemn any conduct that violates, discriminates against or constitutes some type of persecution that hinders the free and adequate exercise of the political rights of any citizen.
It is urgent to implement and enforce existing legislation on gender-based violence, as well as adopt specific preventive and punitive measures in the political context, in order to facilitate the active and crucial participation of women at all levels of the electoral process and in political decision-making spaces by adopting policies aimed at preventing, punishing and eradicating gender-based violence.
Likewise, we urge all political actors and parties to publicly commit to promoting and respecting the rights of women to participate in political life, without discrimination or violence, and to develop and adopt codes of conduct that explicitly prohibit gender-based violence and discrimination.
Finally, the undersigned organizations and individuals request the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, in its follow-up and monitoring of the situation in Venezuela, to report with special attention instances of political violence against women and the support of his Office to the national mechanisms for the protection of human rights in the prevention and response to political violence against women. We further call on the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to analyze the situation described herein and determine the interest of the Court in the matter.
The aspiration to a more just, supportive and peaceful society requires the recognition and respect for women’s rights as an essential condition.
Democracy, justice and gender equality cannot wait!
Signatories
Organizations:
- Acceso a la Justicia
- Acción En Positivo
- Alianza de Mujeres Políticas
- Asamblea Nacional de Venezuela 2015
- Asociación Cauce
- Asociación Civil Gurrufío
- Asociación Mujeres Sin Fronteras
- Asociación Venezolana de Mujeres
- Caleidoscopio Humano
- Cátedra de Derechos Humanos de la Universidad Centroccidental Lisandro Alvarado
- Causa R
- CECAVID
- Centro de atención integral Psicopedagógica Individual (CAIPI)
- Centro Interamericano de Gerencia Política
- Cepaz – Centro de Justicia y Paz
- CNP, Seccional Mérida. Secretaria de Mejoramiento y Cultura
- Club de Leones Venezuela
- Colegio de Enfermería de Barinas
- Colegio de Médicos de Barinas
- Comisión de la Universidad de Los Andes contra la violencia de género (Comisión ULA Mujer)
- Comisión Nacional de DDHH de la Federación de Colegios de Abogados de Venezuela del estado Táchira
- Comité de DDHH para la Defensa de Pensionados, Jubilados, Adultos Mayores y Personas con Discapacidad
- Control Ciudadano para la Seguridad, la Defensa y la Fuerza Armada Nacional
- Coordinación Nacional de Asociaciones Ciudadanas de Vente Venezuela
- Coordinación de Asociaciones Ciudadanas de Vente Venezuela Cojedes
- Coordinación de Asociaciones Ciudadanas de Vente Venezuela Miranda
- Coordinación de Asociaciones Ciudadanas de Vente Venezuela Trujillo
- Coordinación de Asociaciones Ciudadanas de Vente Venezuela Yaracuy
- Encuentro Ciudadano
- Encuentro Ciudadano Nueva Esparta
- Entretejidas
- Epikeia Derechos Humanos
- Federación Nacional de Sociedades de Padres y Representantes -FENASOPADRES-
- Frente Amplio de Mujeres
- Funcamama
- Fundación PRO-IDHEAS
- Fundación Iribarren Lucha
- Fundación Lucelia
- Fundación para la Prevención de la Violencia Contra las Mujeres – Fundamujer
- Fundación Pro-Defensa del Derecho a la Educación y la NIñez
- Fundación Tesoro de La Vida
- Fundapden Internacional
- FundaRedes
- Goncalves & Ariza Consultores
- Grupo No a la Violencia Contra la Mujer
- Inmigrantes Mayores en Chile
- Instituto Venezolano de Estudios Sociales y Políticos -INVESP
- La Causa Я
- Mavid Carabobo
- Mi Convive
- Movimiento Creando Ciudadanos (MOCRECI)
- Mujer y Ciudadanía A. C.
- Mujeres para el Mundo
- Observatorio de Derechos Humanos de la Universidad de Los Andes
- Observatorio de Violencias LGBTIQ+
- Observatorio penal Mérida Opem ddhh
- Observatorio Venezolano de los DDHH de las Mujeres (OVDHM)
- Observatorio Venezolano de Prisiones
- Ong Hombres por la equidad e igualdad
- Poder Violeta Vzla
- Proyecto Ciudad
- Red de Activistas Ciudadanos por los Derechos Humanos (Redac)
- Red de Mujeres Constructoras de Paz
- Red de Mujeres Portuguesa
- Red Mérida Feminista
- Red Sororidad
- Resonalia
- Secretaria de Formación regional de Un Nuevo Tiempo Barinas
- Secretaria Política de Vente Venezuela Mérida
- Ser Urbano
- Sociedad Hominis Iura (SOHI)
- Solidaridad activa
- Starseed Travellers
- Transparencia Venezuela
- Una Ventana a la Libertad
- UNT
- V5Initiative
- Venezuela en Baviera e.V.
- Vente Argentina
- Vente Venezuela
- Visibles Venezuela
- Voluntad Popular
- Voluntad Popular Activistas Mérida
- Voto joven
- YouthLab
Individuals:
- Adelfa Malpica Dommar
- Adriana D’Elia
- Adriana Flores Márquez
- Airlyn Camejo
- Aixa Armas
- Alexis Ramos Castillo
- Amelia Belisario
- Ana Carvajal
- Ana Fátima López Iturríos
- Ana Labrador
- Anacelmira Urbina
- Andrea Tavares
- Andrés Hoyos
- Antonia Mendoza
- Antonio Perdomo
- Alexandra Olivo
- Arelis Rondón
- Aura Gutiérrez
- Auristela Vásquez de Castillo
- Beatriz Mora
- Beatriz Ruiz de Viso
- Berlytz Chacón
- Calixto Ávila Rincón
- Camila Oropeza
- Carlos Escalante
- Carlos Infante
- Carlos Nieto Palma
- Carlos Paparoni
- Catalina Ramos
- Cecilia Vega
- Clara Ramírez
- Cristina Burelli
- Cristina Ciordia
- Damarys Guzmán de Diaz
- Dayanne Contreras
- Deborah Van Berkel
- Delsa Solórzano
- Denisse Martínez
- Deyalitza Aray
- Dharma Parra Kasen
- Dheyby Yolimar Quintero Sivira
- Diana Merchán Pérez-Perazzo
- Dickson Segovia
- Dinorah Figuera
- Efraín Rincón
- Ela Ferris
- Eladio Muchacho Unda
- Eli Ávila
- Elizabeth Medina
- Elvira Pernalete
- Fanny D’Jesús
- Felipa González
- Fernando Aranguren
- Francia Olivo
- Freddy Castellanos
- Feymar González Acosta
- Gabriela Buada
- Gaby Arellano
- Génesis Millán
- Gipsy Sarita Montiel Ramírez
- Griselda Barroso Morgado
- Guillermo Palacios
- Haidee Marquina Sánchez
- Haidy Estrada
- Hernando Garzón
- Hisvet Fernández
- Irene Coello
- Irina Amarelis Linares Durán
- Isabel Lucía Delgado
- Jeisi Blanco
- Jesús Alberto Salas
- Joanna Peñalver
- José Luis Machín Machín
- José Ricardo Salazar
- Karla Ávila Morillo
- Karla León
- Leída Brito
- Leonardo Regnault
- Lidk Rodelo
- Lilia Arvelo
- Lilian Peña
- Liyone Perdomo
- Lucero Vera de Ferreira
- Luis Barragán
- Luisa Rodríguez Táriba
- Luisana Espinel Palencia
- Luz María Rojas
- Macario González
- Madelin Arteaga
- Magaly Huggins Castañeda
- Magalli Meda
- Maleisi Núñez Medina
- Manuela Bolívar
- Manuela Borregales
- Marcos Garzón
- María Campos
- María Concepción Mulino
- María Corina Machado
- María del Rosario Rondón
- María Fernanda Febles
- María Kassem
- María Teresa Romero
- Mariana Barrios
- Marianela Fernández
- Mariangel Silva
- Maribel Peña
- Mariela Magallanes
- Marielva Risquez
- Marieta Palumbi Santosm
- Mariluz Rojas Yuripe
- Maureen Calderón
- Michelle Rodrigo
- Milagros Hidalgo
- Milagros Sánchez Eulate
- Militza Bastidas
- Morella Nava
- Morielcar García
- Narvich Rebolledo
- Natalia Brandler
- Nelida Vargas
- Nelson Freitez
- Nexy Olivo
- Ninoska Zambrano
- Nirma Guarulla
- Ofelia Álvarez
- Oneida Del Valle Guaipe de Ávila
- Olga Maldonado
- Orlando Goncalves
- Paola Bautista de Alemán
- Patricia Urrea
- Paulina Gamus
- Raiza Ramírez Pino
- Rina Díaz
- Rocío San Miguel
- Rosa Chirinos
- Rotciv Jiménez
- Rusmelis Rondón
- Sandra Flores
- Sherezade Arias
- Suzana Henríquez
- Tamara Adrián
- Tamara Bechar
- Tibisay Betancourt Parra
- Verónica Arvelo
- Vicsaly Lucena
- Virginia Margarita Sarmiento Briceño
- Wanda Cedeño
- Whyrlin Zamora Gil
- Williams Dávila
- Xiomara Sierra
- Yanet Fermin
- Yelitze Zambrano
- Zulimar Cahuao
Translated by José Rafael Medina
