The World Briefly

May 17, 2023

The Other Victims

Chile

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A new Chilean law will provide financial aid to children whose mothers were killed by their current or former partners, a move the government hopes will address the issue of femicide across Chile and Latin America, the BBC reported.

Passed in April, the “Reparation Law for Victims of Femicide” provides a number of benefits to children and the relatives of femicide victims.

These include a monthly state allowance of $200 until the child is 18 years old, and employment protection for survivors of attempted femicides. The legislation also offers family members priority access to social services, such as psychological counseling.

The new bill came around the same time that a Chilean court sentenced a man to life imprisonment for murdering his former partner four years ago.

Police had initially ruled the death of 25-year-old Silvana Garrido as a suicide, but last month a court found her former partner, Fernando Flores, guilty of femicide.

Under the new reparation law, Garrido’s daughter is eligible to receive the monthly state allowance.

Officials said the legislation takes a new approach to handling the issue of femicide and domestic violence, which mainly focuses on victims and aggressors.

Minister of Women and Gender Equity Antonia Orellana explained that it seeks to protect children’s well-being and break the cycle of violence, which can see children of aggressors turn into violent adults.

Observers said the law is one of the most comprehensive legal measures in Latin America to support relatives in a region with some of the highest femicide rates in the world.

This story originally appeared in the May 17, 2023 newsletter, Wobbly Dominoes.