The National Institute for Women of Panama delivered this Tuesday to women victims of sexist violenceThe first boats of pepper spray for self-defense, which are equipped with a special ink to mark the aggressors.
The director of the National Institute for Women (Inamu), Nellys Herrera, told reporters that many of the women who are receiving pepper spray have been "threatened with death" by a known and close person, be it your "partner or ex-partner".
This group of women, who have experienced violence, fear that their aggressor will break the restraining order issued by a judge, Herrera said. She explained that for this reason the pepper spray case has an ink that will allow the aggressor to be identified when he is captured so that "it is evident that the protection measure was breached".
The National Institute for Women has approximately 2,000 pepper sprays to be distributed among women who are victims of domestic and sexist violence. Although it is different from tear gas which is usually made up of the chemical chlorobenzylidene malononitrile (CS) and pepper spray is derived from the plant capsicum, this type of spray irritates the eyes to the point of causing tears, pain and even temporary blindness. Despite the fact that in Panama there are no restrictions or limitations for the purchase of pepper spray, informed consent and training are required for its use, Inamu has indicated. Cases of women victims of femicide rose 20% and those of violent death 100% during the first quarter of this year in Panama, compared to the same period in 2021. Between January and March last 6 women were victims of femicide, one more than in the same period of 2021, while 8 suffered violent death, compared to 4 of the previous year, according to the statistics of the Public Ministry (MP, Prosecutor’s Office). In April 2022, three other women were killed solely due to their gender. Panama’s Law 82 defines feminicide as "cause the death of a woman based on gender, due to discrimination or any other form of violence".
"Violent death refers to all homicides of female persons that were not considered femicides, according to the Prosecutor’s assessment of the case and the application of Law 82", indicates a report the MP. In 2021 the Femicides fell by 29% in Panamawhen 22 cases were registered compared to 31 in 2020, but violent deaths rose 47%, adding 22 compared to 15 the previous year, according to Fis statistics