Peruvian feminists rally against bill erasing femicide as a crime
Feminist groups in Peru have staged a protest outside the Palace of Justice against a controversial bill. The proposal aims to remove femicide from the country’s criminal code. Demonstrators gathered as lawmakers debate the change, which has sparked widespread outrage among women’s rights activists. The bill was introduced by Milagros Jáuregui, a lawmaker from the Renovación Popular party and an evangelical pastor. Under her proposal, femicide cases would no longer exist as a distinct crime. Instead, they would be reclassified as either simple homicide or aggravated homicide.
Dozens of activists from organisations like Manuela Ramos and Flora Tristán joined the vigil. Protesters held up photos of femicide victims and chanted slogans such as *'It’s not murder, it’s femicide'* and *'Without justice, there is no democracy'*. Aydeé Suárez, the mother of Teresa Villafuerte—a femicide victim—condemned the bill as *'atrocious, cruel, revictimizing, and violent'*. The legislative push comes amid alarming statistics. Peru recorded 133 femicides in 2025, averaging 11 cases per month. By the start of 2026, 42 more had already been reported. The executive secretary of the National Human Rights Coordinator warned that the proposal would mark a severe regression in protections for women.
The protest highlights growing opposition to the bill, which critics argue would weaken legal safeguards for women. If passed, the change would redefine femicide under broader homicide laws, removing its recognition as a gender-based crime. The outcome of the legislative debate remains uncertain.
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