Thousands of people—mostly women—mobilized across Argentina this Wednesday to denounce femicides and demand public policies to combat gender-based violence. The demonstrations were organized by the feminist movement “Ni Una Menos” (Not One Less), taking place amidst the shock surrounding the recent murder of a teenage girl.
The march in Buenos Aires stretched for several blocks through the historic city center—from Congress to Avenida de Mayo—where girls, teenagers, and women marched under the slogan: “Alive, free, and debt-free is how we want to be.” One marcher held a sign that read, “We are 10 femicides away from the World Cup,” referring to the tournament scheduled to begin on June 11.
The demonstration, held annually since 2015, saw parallel protests take place in dozens of other Argentine cities. This year’s events unfolded against the backdrop of the shock caused by the brutal murder of 14-year-old Agostina Vega in the city of Córdoba (central Argentina); her remains were discovered over the weekend after she had been missing for a week.
“Agostina’s case reflects a broader reality—but a woman is killed every 30 hours. This isn’t just an isolated incident; it happens constantly, and that is why we are taking to the streets. There are no state policies in place that are adequate to address this crisis,” Amy Cozzi, a 25-year-old student, told AFP.
The protesters also paid tribute to two other recent victims: Dulce María Candia in Misiones (northeast) and Noelia Romero in Buenos Aires. “We have characterized this femicide as a case of organized negligence on the part of the State,” stated Luci Cavallero, a leading figure in the movement, speaking on the case. She directed her criticism at “a judicial system that failed to search, or searched too late—one that failed to implement the necessary alert protocols within the required timeframe.”
The “Ni Una Menos” movement was born on June 3, 2015, following a massive protest triggered by the murder of a pregnant 14-year-old girl in Santa Fe (central Argentina). That demand marked a turning point in the public agenda regarding gender-based violence in Argentina. Since Javier Milei’s presidential inauguration in 2023, activists have denounced the dismantling of these policies.
