No alcohol, no violence: life inside the Bolivian community led by women
No alcohol, no violence: life inside the Bolivian community led by women
Gender-based violence remains prevalent in Bolivia, but Maria Auxiliadora, a women-led community in Cochabamba, is trying to change this
Amy Booth in Cochabamba
Tuesday 7 February 2017 07.00 EST
The barrio of Maria Auxiliadora slopes up one of the many hills in the dusty mountain bowl surrounding Cochabamba, Bolivia. Visually, there is little to distinguish it from the other barrios of the city’s working-class southern periphery: it’s a melting pot of one-room brick houses and building sites.
Despite its innocuous appearance, a remarkable history sets this neighbourhood apart: since 1999, Maria Auxiliadora has worked to create a safe environment free from domestic violence, under the leadership of women. Families wishing to live there have to abide by the rules established in the community: no sales of alcohol, and no gender-based attacks.
“Women tell me, ‘When we lived elsewhere he used to hit me, but with the rules here, he’s forgotten about drinking and never touched me again,’” says Rose Mary Irusta Perez, one of Maria Auxiliadora’s founders.
This community is in many ways an oasis for women in a patriarchal society that has witnessed far too many acts of femicide. In the first two days of 2017, Special Force Against Violence – a police force launched in June 2013 to take care of gender-based abuses – registered two acts of femicide. According to the Bolivian attorney general’s office as quoted in Humanosphere, 94 women were killed last year, and 93 killed in 2015.
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2017/feb/07/no-alcohol-no-violence-life-inside-bolivian-community-led-women-maria-auxiliadora-cochabamba