When a woman uses social networks to tell what is happening to her, she is breaking the news of a crime; ‘this is not show business gossip’

Gender violence is a crime of public action, so “the Prosecutor’s Office has to intervene yes or yes”, according to rosandi lopez, specialist in gender violence. This week the television presenter, Carolina Jaume, put the issue up for debate on social networks after spreading part of the conversations that she had on whatsapp with the father of her son, and the audiences took positions.

Silvia Buendia, a feminist and human rights lawyer, agrees with López and adds that “the duty of the Prosecutor’s Office is to investigate ex officio crimes that come to its attention. That is, the Prosecutor’s Office when it hears about a crime you do not need anyone to file a complaint in your office, is mobilized to investigate a crime of public action. So, gender violence is a crime of public action.

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“We are talking about human rights. When talking about human rights, in which this violation of women’s rights is immersed from their personal intimacy, from their physical and psychological integrity, intervention must be intervened, ”says López, who is also a lawyer.

The well-known television presenter published a series of messages and chats in which she denounced “domestic violence.”

Buendía indicates that when a woman uses social networks to tell what is happening to her, she is breaking the news of a crime. “This is not celebrity gossip.”, he assures, and adds: “I am realizing that citizens and, sometimes, the media do not understand this that it is the news of a crime”.

Samuel Merlano, a clinical psychologist, indicates that currently social networks are a fast and effective form of communication to make any kind of complaint and because of the speed it immediately reaches the entire sector, the community, the neighborhood or even the city itself. However, he says, there are people who in one way or another try to discredit those who do.

“When those affected unite and claim before the law and effectively feel the support of the authorities, of society, the impact is greater. In this way, more women continue to join, more people continue to support, in this case, to continue making the complaint for this type of offense, for this type of psychological abuse and also at the family level, “adds Merlano. .

He kicked her in the head and left on a bus. The CSCG cameras served to capture the aggressor of a woman

Buendía cites as an example, in the case of the law for access to abortion in case of rape: “They are saying that they are not going to investigate or prosecute the rapist, because the women are not going to file a complaint. Women do not have to report, rape is a crime of public action. A woman arrives to say ‘I want an abortion because I was raped’, and at that moment they give the news of the crime to the Prosecutor’s Office, and the Prosecutor’s Office ex officio investigates the details of the event”.

As another example he mentions the appearance of a video of a robbery victim. “The person does not have to go to file the complaint, the Prosecutor’s Office with that video can see who is on the motorcycle, what is the license plate of the car that he stole… and they investigate the commission of a crime, because it is a crime of public action and the news of a crime has come to his attention…”, he explains.

“We are not talking about any public institution, we are talking about the Prosecutor’s Office, which among its duties is to investigate crimes of public action. From my point of view, when they talk to you about a public action crime on social networks, whether it be armed robbery, car theft, gender violence, they are public action crimes and the Prosecutor’s Office takes note and investigates; like, for example, what happened with Soledad Reyes…”, refers Buendía.

“In general, the Prosecutor’s Office must intervene when they are known and notorious facts, because, for example, someone is suffering violence and does not want to report it, so the Prosecutor’s Office is not aware of it, does not know their private life and the problems they are having (so they do not can intervene), but when they are facts of public knowledge and notorious, the Prosecutor’s Office can intervene, ”López reiterates.

Entities that can provide help

López emphasizes, when speaking of entities that work in this line of defense of women’s rights, that any entity can join in giving support: “Friend, you are no longer alone”Cepam, the Human Rights Secretariat (through the Ombudsman’s Office), a lawyer from the Public Defender’s Office (which has a section for victims to defend their rights), as well as international organizations.

“We are always attentive, we are on a par giving, not only psychological contingent, but legal advice with a gender perspective, because we must remember that not all lawyers know this gender perspective or handle it,” says López.

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Regarding psychological care, he says, it is very important. “When there is an investigation process, you have to be very careful not to revictimize it. It is a process afterward, because this is to re-victimize her when she is going to tell the same thing before the Prosecutor’s Office, ”she points out.

How does it affect the environment when a woman suffers from gender violence? “The environment is affected when a woman suffers gender violence. In this way, the community, society, especially society, in the sector where there is empathy, everyone immediately participates in one way or another to denounce the kind of violence that is happening to a woman”, responds Merlano.

Protection measures

Regarding the protection measures, López points out that “the law says that every victim of violence who files a complaint in the face of acts of violence, the judge must immediately grant him a ticket for help, protection measures.”

The help ticket, he says, is required “in case of a new altercation, a new persecution, a new intimidation. She can call the Police at that moment and the police have to carry out her procedure, which is to arrest the aggressor; not even detain him, apprehend him, and take him before the competent authority, which are the domestic violence judges, so that they make and decide on the legal situation of the aggressor and the victim.

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The protection measures (which can be requested by men or women) are stipulated in article 558 of the Organic Comprehensive Criminal Code; Both López and Buendía mention that there are twelve. “The Prosecutor’s Office asks the judge… and he can tell him to move away, not to arrive, not to contact the family, there is the panic button…”, says Buendía.

Among the contacts you can call are: the free line 1800-112-112 de Amiga, you are no longer alone or go to the address av. Malecon and August 10; and the 244-6945 Cepam, located on Av. General Francisco Robles and Tercer Callejón (near the Caraguay market). (I)