SANTIAGO – Chilean President Sebastián Piñera led a ceremony commemorating International Women’s Day in which he announced a series of proposals, including a bill that punishes cyberbullying.
The initiative, “Ley Ciber Acoso” seeks to punish all forms of harassment through electronic means.
“I have signed a bill to detect and severely punish those who abuse women by disseminating confidential information or photographs that are private, we are committed to generating a zero-tolerance behavior against all types of harassment or violence against women,” said Piñera in the speech.
En el #DíaDeLaMujer, nos comprometemos a seguir avanzando por la tolerancia 0 contra la violencia hacia las mujeres. El proyecto de #LeyCiberAcoso castigará todo delito de abuso cibernético. Entérate más, aquí → https://t.co/tGe5WOgWBL #8M2019 pic.twitter.com/yp5klaPX4t
— Gobierno de Chile (@GobiernodeChile) March 8, 2019
The president related the project to the case “Nido.org”, which was an Internet forum that generated great controversy earlier this month when it was discovered that it was used by some Internet users to share photos and private information about women and girls.
“With the Nido.org case, we discovered that the practice of divulging intimate photos of women is unpunished, which becomes a blackmail for them,” said Piñera, who recalled the 10+1 victims of femicide so far this year and made a review of the pro-woman agenda encouraged by his government.
Duele en el alma el femicidio ocurrido hoy en Recoleta, el día en que conmemoramos el #8M2019. Ya son 11 cobardes asesinatos este año. No lo vamos a tolerar. #NoLoDejesPasar: Denuncia a tiempo todo abuso, violencia o agresión para evitar que tragedias así sigan ocurriendo.
— Sebastian Piñera (@sebastianpinera) March 8, 2019
In addition, he announced that his government will submit a bill to Congress to reform the health forecasting system as it understands that the one that is “currently punishes women more.”
Piñera also made announcements such as the creation of a Monitoring Unit for Precautionary Measures and Protection Measures, to guarantee the protection of victims of violence who denounce their aggressors, the creation of the Gender Equality Report at Work, as an instrument to make visible and transparent the working conditions of women and the creation of a Public Registry of Women for Directories.
Hoy firmamos proy #LeyCiberAcoso q castigará todo delito de acoso cibernético. Estamos 100% comprometidos con igualdad de derechos, deberes y dignidad entre hombres y mujeres y con tolerancia 0 contra toda violencia o abuso a mujeres. ¡#FelizDíaDeLaMujer! https://t.co/E4lFMkjzBd pic.twitter.com/bqYitUZRw0
— Sebastian Piñera (@sebastianpinera) March 8, 2019