An ‘exhort’ that sounds like a broken record
The Senate approved a call for “urgent resolution” to the 32 state congresses. The objective: to align their local laws with the constitutional reforms regarding the rights of women, girls and adolescents.
Sounds good, right? The problem is that these types of exhortations have the same binding force as a wish on a falling star. They are recommendations. Polite suggestions.
What they really ask for (and what they don’t say)
The official text talks about incorporating principles such as substantive equality, gender perspective and the right to a life free of violence. All in line with changes published in the Official Gazette in November of last year.
“…they requested that various secondary laws related to the mainstreaming of the gender perspective be adapted…”
Translation: they want the gender approach not to be a separate chapter, but to permeate all state legislation. From civil codes to health laws.
Here’s the juicy detail: among the reforms mentioned is the updating of the criminal offense of sexual abuse. One that incorporates the standard of consent and expands sanctionable conduct.
How many states still have archaic definitions of this crime? More than the Senate would like to admit in a press release.
The ironic thing is the ending. The Senate emphasizes that, once the adjustments have been made, congresses must report on the progress. As if the problem were the lack of reports, not the lack of political will or budget.
Historical memory hurts: how many similar exhortations have been forgotten, archived along with other good legislative intentions. The real question is not whether states will report, but when and how they will comply.
