*(This piece was originally published in Spanish on Chequeado's website. The original story can be found here )
The Argentinian government announced the opening of a registry for children of femicide victims, who are now eligible to receive reparation equal to minimum wage. What does the law say, and how many people could it affect?
Between 2015 and 2017 in Argentina there were 871 femicides. 286 in 2015, 290 in 2016 and 295 in 2017, according to La Casa del Encuentro, a nongovernmental organization dedicated to causes like femicide since 2008. From 2008 to 2017, La Casa del Encuentro identified 2,679 women and children killed for being women, the majority of whom are killed by their partners or ex-partners.
Their deaths leave 3,378 children without a mother, and most of them are younger than 18 years old. The situation is even more critical when the father kills his spouse, leaving their children without protections. Now, though, these collateral victims of femicide can receive an economic reparation, thanks to Brisa’s Law. The law is named in honor of Brisa, the daughter of Daiana Barrionuevo, killed by her ex-husband in 2014, that was approved by Congress July 4, 2018.
The implementation of the program is under the National Secretary of Children, Adolescents and Family (SENNAF), and the National Administration for Social Security (ANSES) will distribute the reparations to its beneficiaries. ANSES opened its registry Feb. 6, 2019.
Who can receive it? Collateral victims of femicide, intrafamilial violence or gender violence where the crime took place in Argentina and the recipient is Argentinian, or a resident for at least two years, and is 21 years old or younger (except in the case of disability, where aid is given without an age limit).
What is its value? The reparation is equivalent to minimum wage, currently 9,309 pesos, and it includes health coverage for “any and all necessities related to physical and mental health.” For crimes that occurred before July 26, 2018, the reparation is retroactive and will start from the date that the law was sanctioned.
The law started from an observation, Ada Rico, president of la Casa del Encuentro told Chequeado: “We understood that the government of Argentina wasn’t doing anything to take care of these minors, they were in a completely unprotected state.”
She added that many times siblings are separated after the death of their mother due to a lack of economic resources and the inability for another family member to take care of them: “These children cannot go to the house of a family member because these economic resources don’t exist. As a result, the children continue to be separated.”