Page 12 - aruba-today-20170620

A12 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 20 June 2017
Argentina grassroots movement fights violence against women

By LUIS ANDRES HENAO When she turned around, ment of tens of thousands talk...I don’t know if it was high.
DEBORA REY she saw him staring at her of people across Argen- fear or shame, or feeling On the day he would set
Associated Press with a bottle of alcohol in tina who have mobilized that justice was not on your her on fire, she was help-
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina one hand. Ablaze, she ran to fight violence against side...I like it that it’s now ing her mother decorate
(AP) — On Christmas Eve of to three faucets, but not a women. Called Ni Una out in the open.” a ballroom to celebrate
2011, Maira Maidana lit a single drop of water came Menos, or Not One Less, One in three women world- her younger brother’s 17th
wide has experienced birthday. She was excited
physical or sexual violence, about wearing a new white
according to the United dress that she had picked
Nations. In 2016 alone, 254 out with her partner.
Argentine women died But when he arrived back
from gender-based vio- from work, he was drunk
lence, according to a re- and no longer wanted to
port released last month attend the party. She insist-
by the Supreme Court. That ed, saying she had worked
amounts to one woman on the decorations the
killed every 34 hours. whole day. As soon as they
Maidana feared the day arrived at the ballroom, he
would come when her began telling her that her
partner would try to kill her. dress was too short.
They met in 2003, when he Halfway through the party,
was 14 and she 15. The first he decided he wanted to
time he beat her up was leave. When they arrived
in 2005. They were playing back home, he asked his
with schoolmates and he sister to lock the children in
was jealous. a room. He began scream-
When they got back to her ing at Maidana.
home, he punched her The argument got heated.
in the face. She went to At one point, he threat-
Maira Maidana, bottom right, holds a banner with pictures of herself during a march organized school the next day with a ened to leave her. But for
by the movement “Ni Una Menos,” or Not One Less, to protest violence against women in Buenos bruise in one eye. A friend the first time, she confront-
Aires, Argentina. “With Ni Una Menos, women are no longer hiding,” said Maidana, 29, who is told her to break up with ed him and told him to go.
scarred in her neck and chest after her partner burned her in 2011. him, warning her that it She felt empowered.
(AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) would happen again and Maidana went to the bath-
candle to the patron saint out. the movement has spread only get worse. room to remove her make-
of Argentina and closed Fifty-nine surgeries later, rapidly worldwide. She was right. Over the up. Then, with trembling
her eyes in prayer - just Maidana has finally found “With Ni Una Menos, next eight years, he beat hands, she lit a candle in
like she did every time she the courage to tell the truth women are no longer hid- her up regularly, except the small altar to the Virgin
feared a brutal beating by about what happened to ing,” says Maidana, who when she was pregnant of Lujan. It was about 2:45
her partner. her that awful night. She is scarred in her neck and with their two children. He a.m.
But this time, she felt her says she owes that cour- chest and speaks in whis- did drugs and would often All of a sudden, she felt
whole body catch on fire. age to a grassroots move- pers. “Before, we wouldn’t come back home drunk or heat. She was in flames. q

Report: Mexican journalists, activists targeted with spyware

By PETER ORSI up their devices to being government agencies in July of the following year. She received more than
CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN exploited and spied upon. Mexico are reportedly NSO Other targets included two-dozen messages with
Associated Press NSO’s Pegasus spyware customers.” members of the Centro NSO links claiming to be
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexi- allows hackers access to Mexico issued a statement Miguel Agustin Pro Juarez, from “the U.S. Embassy in
can journalists, lawyers and phone calls, messages, saying that just like any a prominent human rights Mexico, Amber Alerts, col-
activists were targeted by cameras and personal other democratic country, group that has investigat- leagues, people in her per-
spyware produced by Isra- data. The company says it conducts intelligence ed cases such as the dis- sonal life, her bank, phone
el’s NSO Group that is sold it sells the product only to operations to combat or- appearance of 43 students company and notifications
exclusively to governments, governments for the pur- ganized crime and defend whom police allegedly of kidnappings,” the report
according to an internet poses of fighting crime and national security. But it de- detained and turned over said.Citizen Lab said some
watchdog group’s investi- terrorism. nied any illegal spying. to drug gang killers; the family members of the tar-
gation published Monday. Citizen Lab said it had “no “The Government of the anti-graft group Mexicans gets also received spyware
Titled “Reckless Exploit,” conclusive evidence at- Republic categorically de- Against Corruption and Im- messages, including Aris-
the report by Citizen Lab tributing these messages to nies that any of its entities punity; and the Mexican In- tegui’s son who was a mi-
at the University of Toronto specific government agen- carries out actions of sur- stitute for Competitiveness, nor at the time and got at
said the targets included cies in Mexico. However, veillance or intercepting a civil society group work- least 21 of them.
people, such as prominent circumstantial evidence communications from hu- ing on economic policy At a news conference in
journalists Carmen Aristegui suggests that one or more man rights defenders, jour- and combatting corrup- Mexico City, Ana Cristina
and Carlos Loret de Mola, ... of NSO’s government nalists, anti-corruption ac- tion.Aristegui, who exposed Ruelas of the media rights
who were investigating al- customers in Mexico are tivists or any other person a case of possible conflict group Articulo 19 read a
leged government corrup- the likely operators.” without prior judicial autho- of interest involving a luxu- statement demanding the
tion and purported human The report noted that the rization,” it said.Citizen Lab ry home acquired from a government make public
rights abuses by security targets involved “domestic said it documented at least government contractor by any information it has on
forces. issues of immediate con- 76 messages containing President Enrique Pena Ni- the spying revealed by the
The people targeted re- cern to powerful Mexican links to the security exploit. eto’s wife, was aggressively report and investigate pos-
ceived messages with links interests” and the govern- Many were sent in August targeted according to Citi- sible punishments for those
that, if clicked on, opened ment, and that “multiple 2015 or between April and zen Lab. responsible.q