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With a unanimous vote, Peruvian lawmakers approved Thursday a bill seeking to eradicates violence and discrimination against women.
Anyone violent against a woman will now face up to 15 years in prison, said lawmaker Juan Carlos Eguren, also president of the Justice Commission in Congress. The sentence will also be applied in the cases of violence against minors and the disabled.
Policemen and prosecutors will have a maximum of 72 hours to attend and resolve the complaints, and the Public Ministry will have 72 to make the case public. Moreover, state officials who fail to meet their responsibilities within that time will face criminal charges.
“A few cases have been reported in which the victim goes to a police station and the officials greet her with indolence and disdain, or even dare to ask her 'what have you done? For sure he hit you for some reason.' Well this time is over,” said Eguren.
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Now that it has been approved, the bill will be applied after modifying the Penal Code.
According to the official estimate from the Ministry of Woman, at least 727 women were killed between early 2009 and August 2015, there was a similar number of attempted femicides, a term used for gender-based murders.
On the same day, Peruvian Congress members also unanimously approved a bill formally prohibiting an employer from arbitrarily dismissing an employee who is pregnant or breastfeeding. The bill also increased the allowed time of parental leave to 49 days, before and after the birth. The bill intends to align Peru on the prescriptions of the International Labor Organization, said lawmaker Yonhy Lescano, vice president of the Commission on Work and Social Security.
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