March 02, 2020 - 11:47 AM
SANTIAGO, Chile - A law expanding punishment for violence against women was signed into law Monday by Chilean President Sebastián Piñera.
The measure, named the “Gabriela Law” in honour of a young woman killed by an ex-boyfriend in 2018, sets penalties for femicide — killing a woman because of her gender — from 15 years to life.
It also covers attackers other than the spouses or partners referred to in the previous law focused on domestic violence, and eliminates violent emotion as a mitigating factor in sentencing.
It defines covers crimes against women as any that “represent a manifestation of hatred, contempt or abuse because of gender," and covers physical, sexual, economic, institutional, political and workplace violence.
News from © The Associated Press, 2020