Left to Right: Raúl Callirgos, ABA ROLI's Country Director for Peru; Erica Nelson, Program Officer for the US Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs – Lima Office; Elvira Álvarez Olazábal, President of the Gender Commission of the Judiciary; and Francisco Ciampolini, ABA ROLI's Regional Director of the Latin America and Caribbean Division.
January 02, 2023
ABA ROLI Peru Organizes an International Conference on Violence Against Women
From November 24 to 25, the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative’s (ABA ROLI) Justice Sector Support Project II (JSSP-2) organized the International Conference "Debates on the Elimination of Violence Against Women", with the aim of contributing an interdisciplinary perspective to the debate on this social problem in Peru. The JSSP-2 project is ABA ROLI’s newest project in Peru, that was launched in February 2022. It is expected to build on the success of the five-year JSSP project implemented from 2016 to 2021. The project, funded by the U.S. State Department Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), has a number of objectives including to support the efforts of Peruvian authorities to consolidate and build on judicial reforms; to improve Peru’s capacity to combat complex crimes; to prevent and detect corruption in justice sector institutions; and to support the strengthening of equitable and fair access to justice, especially for vulnerable populations and Indigenous communities. The event was co-organized with the Gender Commission of Peru’s Judiciary and sponsored by INL of the United States Embassy in Peru.
The conference on Violence Against Women was held in the capital, Lima, and was attended by more than 80 representatives of public institutions and civil society organizations. Attendees learned about the national and international testimonies and experiences of renowned women who combat this type of violence in their respective communities.
Left photo: Raúl Callirgos, ABA ROLI's Country Director for Peru; Elvira Álvarez Olazábal, President of the Gender Commission of the Judiciary; Dr. Elvia Barrios Alvarado, President of Peru’s Judicial Branch; and Francisco Ciampolini, ABA ROLI's Regional Director of the Latin America and Caribbean Division.
Right photo: Rita Suaña Coila, leader of a local organization in Puno, gives a presentation during the conference; alongside Jhinna Ivon Pinchi Calampa, a leader of a local organization in Lima.
The event included presentations and engagements with Fanny Gómez Lugo, associate professor at the Georgetown University Law Center (United States); Natalia Saralegui Ferrante, professor at the University of Buenos Aires Law School (Argentina); Gladys Acosta Vargas, Chair of the Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination against Women of the United Nations (Peru); and Roxana Vásquez Sotelo, founder of the Peruvian non-governmental organization, DEMUS (Estudio para la Defensa de los Derechos de la Mujer or Study for the Defense of Women's Rights) and the international feminist network CLADEM (Comité de América Latina y El Caribe para la Defensa de los Derechos de la Mujeres or Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean for the Defense of Women's Rights), among others.
The JSSP-2 project targets several regions and all 35 judicial districts of Peru. Attendees included Dr. Elvia Barrios Alvarado, President of Peru’s Judicial Branch; as well as Elvira Álvarez Olazábal, President of the Gender Commission of the Judiciary. ABA ROLI was represented by Francisco Ciampolini, Regional Director of the Latin America and Caribbean division; and Raúl Callirgos, ABA ROLI’s Country Director for Peru.
In the same way, four leaders of local organizations participated to share their experiences in combating violence against women in their community; Nina Betty Sanchez Torrejon from Ucayali, Rita Suaña Coila from Puno, Ruth Quincho Laura from Junín, and Jhinna Pinchi Calampa from Lima.
Left to Right: Rocío Franco Valdivia, Psychology Professor at Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú or Pontifical Catholic University of Peru; Roxana Vásquez Sotelo, feminist lawyer and co-founder of the non-governmental organization, DEMUS and the international feminist network, CLADEM; and Elvira Álvarez Olazábal, President of the Gender Commission of the Judiciary.
Learn more about ABA ROLI’s work across Latin America and the Caribbean.