Buenos Aires, June 4 (IANS) Thousands of people gathered in 80 cities across Argentina for a second annual mobilisation against gender violence.
The main event in Buenos Aires began at 5.00 p.m. on Friday outside the Congress.
The "Ni una menos" (Not One Woman Less) movement was founded in June 2015 by journalists, activists and cultural figures appalled by the high-profile murder of a teenage girl.
Most of Argentina's major NGOs and civic groups rallied to the cause, along with many ordinary citizens with no history of social activism.
"I believe that beyond surpassing last year's turnout, the important thing is the awareness that has been generated in society," Ada Rico, head of the rights organisation Casa del Encuentro, told EFE news.
The movement's "No. 1" demand is implementation of a national action plan to prevent violence against women, she said.
Also needed were laws to ensure that men convicted of killing their wives or partners lose parental authority over their children, as well as measures to support children whose mothers have been slain.
Over the past 12 months, a woman has been murdered every 32 hours on average in Argentina, according to figures compiled by a coalition of women's rights groups.
