As the world went into lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Latin American women began facing a crisis that endangered their lives even more. In Argentina, after lockdown was first imposed, calls to domestic violence hotlines increased by 40% and at least 14 femicides were committed. In Mexico, where 243 million women and girls were abused in the past year, calls increased by 60% in a period of two weeks. Colombia, barely two weeks into quarantine, saw a 91% increase in calls to their domestic violence hotline.

Now, six months into a life altering pandemic, countries in the region are encountering record high numbers of violence against women. Protests and movements have sparked across Latin America, from Mexico to Puerto Rico, almost all under the slogan of “Not One Less/Not One More”.

Although governments and international organizations, such as the UN have warned of and spoken about the “shadow pandemic,” little to no action has been taken to protect the lives of women in the region. In fact, the Mexican government approved a 75% budget cut for programs promoting gender equality. In Puerto Rico, the programs pushed to protect women are seen as ineffective and merely for show.

Peru recently crossed the 100 mark for femicides in 2020, and lockdown measures and financial distress are exacerbating already distraught situations. Nicaragua reported 61 deaths, making this the second most violent year for women since 2014. 208 women and girls have died violently in Argentina.

Organizations and groups around the region are calling for a renewed focus on gender violence, asking for this second pandemic to be treated with as much emergency as the coronavirus. With the growing number of disappearances, deaths and abuse, Latin Americans have to grapple with the absence of legislation that protects women. Furthermore, women’s organizations are calling for a social reckoning and debating whether Latin American machismo lies at the root of the issue.