A/HRC/35/30/Add.3 implementation of international and national standards in this area have resulted in violence against women, especially domestic violence, being treated as a private matter rather than as a public concern. III. Manifestations of violence against women, its causes and consequences A. Femicides or gender-related killings of women 8. The Ni Una Menos movement attracted national and world attention to the femicide situation in Argentina, and the Government of Argentina made important strides in addressing and collecting data on femicide. 9. Article 80 of the Criminal Code was amended in 2012 1 to include femicide as a separate category of aggravated homicide. It provides for life imprisonment for a perpetrator who kills his ascendant or descendant relative, spouse or former spouse or person with whom he has or has had an intimate relationship, even if they were not living together at the time of the crime. 10. In 2015, the first National Femicide Registry was established by the Women’s Office of the Supreme Court of Justice. The registry collects data on the number and ages of and the relationship between victims and accused, the number of minor dependents of the victim and whether previous complaints of violence had been made against the accused. According to its data, there were 225 femicides in 2014 2 and 235 in 2015, 70 per cent of which were family related.3 Such data are crucial for preventing family-related or femicides committed by an intimate partner. In 2014, 228 persons were charged with femicide, of which 27 were convicted — a very low conviction rate.4 11. The Special Rapporteur noted that the above femicide data included only cases for which judicial proceedings had been initiated and left out a significant number of other cases, such as when the perpetrator committed suicide. Other sources pointed to a higher number of femicides. According to non-governmental sources, there were 277 femicides in 2014 and 286 in 2015. 5 The Special Rapporteur also noted that there were no data on redress provided to victims. 12. Article 80 (4) and (11) of the Criminal Code provides for the crime of femicide on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression or when perpetrated as gender violence as aggravated homicide. However, the Special Rapporteur received reports that the judicial system had shown strong resistance to enforcing those provisions and that prosecutions and sentences for such crimes were extremely rare. 6 It was estimated that transgender people in Argentina had a life expectancy of 35 years. 7 A survey conducted in 2012 by the National Institute for Statistics and Censuses indicated that 83 per cent of transgender persons and transvestites surveyed had suffered serious violence and discrimination by the police.8 In September and October 2015, three transgender women, leaders and activists in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex organizations, were 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 4 Argentina, Criminal Code, Law No. 11.179 of 21 December 1984, last amended 19 December 2012. Available at www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/details.jsp?id=12934. Argentina, Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation, Registro Nacional de Femicidios de la Justicia Argentina, 2014. Available at http://old.csjn.gov.ar/om/docs/femicidios_2014.pdf. Argentina, Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation, Registro Nacional de Femicidios de la Justicia Argentina, 2015. Available at www.csjn.gov.ar/om/docs/femicidios_2015.pdf. Argentina, Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation, Registro Nacional de Femicidios de la Justicia Argentina, 2014. La Casa del Encuentro, “Femicidios”. Available at www.lacasadelencuentro.org/femicidios.html. Akahatá and others, “Situación de los derechos humanos de las personas travestis y trans en la Argentina” (October 2016), p. 11. Available at http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CEDAW/ Shared%20Documents/ARG/INT_CEDAW_NGO_ARG_25486_S.pdf. Ibid., p. 2 Ibid., p. 5