Backwardness in gender policies
In the last decade, progress was made in the regulation and implementation of public policies on gender and communication. However, in the last year far from further progress these measures are in a serious state of uncertainty, with clear weakening.
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From the shadow report presented by the Foundation for the Development of Sustainable Policies (FUNDEPS) and the Civil Association Communication for Equality, the actions implemented to fight violence against women in the media were presented, based on the obligation Assumed Argentina to modify the sociocultural patterns that perpetuate discrimination against women.
After a long walk, starting in 2009, a new normative framework came into force that protects women from media and symbolic violence in the media. To this, the public policies generated by the Public Defender’s Office and the AFSCA, among other spaces, were added to combat these forms of inequality. This meant a clear breakthrough in the State’s role of guaranteeing rights, although it was still perfect in both standard and implementation.
However, in December 2015, as one of the first measures of the national government under management, the Executive Branch amended the Law on Audiovisual Communication Services (LSCA) and its implementing authority, pillars of the normative framework in communication and gender. Furthermore, the perspectives of the 17 Convergence Principles announced by the National Communications Entity (ENACOM and ex-AFSCA) with a view to drafting a new project to regulate communications and the National Plan of Action for Prevention, Assistance and Eradication of Violence against Women 2017-2019, are not very encouraging.
This is compounded by the uncertainty that exists over the continuity of the Public Defender’s Office, a body created for the protection of audiences by the Audiovisual Communication Services Act and recently recognized by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, since it is not foreseen Another similar in projections of the new legislation announced. In addition, the period of the current defender Cynthia Ottaviano ended on November 14 and has not been announced its renewal or any new designation.
In order to achieve a more just and equitable society, it is essential to ensure that content and media programming stop promoting a culture of discrimination and violence.
*Coordinator of the Human Rights Area-Gender and Sexual Diversity Axis of the Foundation for the Development of Sustainable Policies (FUNDEPS).
