In the last hours, President Iván Duque sanctioned the law that establishes that women victims of extreme gender violence have priority in the housing subsidies granted by the State.
The law defines extreme gender violence “as any action or omission that causes physical, sexual, psychological, patrimonial damage or suffering; excessive, serious and irreparable due to their gender condition “. Likewise, it associates extreme gender violence with the following behaviors: attempted femicide; injuries with chemical agents, acid and / or similar substances; sexual violence; and physical and psychological abuse that leaves permanent consequences on the victim’s health or generates legal medical incapacity for more than 30 days.
The author of the law, Senator Nadia Blel Scaff, explained that this rule expands the beneficiaries of in-kind subsidies for the vulnerable population. By modifying article 12 of Law 1537 of 2021, an additional prioritization criterion is included for women who are, and have been, victims of extreme violence and who require or have required a measure of care.
“This priority in the subsidy will give them the opportunity to get away from that violence and have a roof where they can provide security, not only to her, but also to her family,” explained the representative to the Chamber Faber Alberto Muñoz, who was coordinator rapporteur of the bill during its process in Congress.
“For the purposes of this law, the quality of victim of extreme gender violence is accredited according to the level of affectation of the physical and / or mental health of the victim woman, consigned in the clinical history, the assessment made by the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences or the opinion of a professional in the health area carried out in the process of recognition of the protection and care measure “, it reads in the text of the new law.
“The right of access to one’s own home is a decisive factor for the equality and living conditions of women, as well as for their physical and economic security. During the pandemic we have seen how the numbers of extreme gender violence in the country increased, so with this initiative we want to guarantee that these women end their economic dependence and coexistence with their aggressors. In the vast majority of cases, the aggressor is her spouse, her husband, her permanent partner, and with this initiative we are giving women the possibility to have access, as a priority, to an opportunity to have a home and with this they can start a housing project free from any type of aggression ”, assured Blel.
During the process of the law in Congress, the author documented 71,980 cases of intimate partner violence: 36,290, in 2016; and 35,690, in 2017, with the permanent partner being the main aggressor in 57% of the cases.
In order to carry out the procedures so that a woman can access these new benefits, she must prove that she is a victim of extreme gender violence with a document that will be sent to the Administrative Department for Social Prosperity within a maximum period of 10 days from her date. expedition.
A second rule, also authored by Senator Blel, was recently approved by President Duque. With this second law, children with disabilities will be guaranteed a basic right such as play and recreation, by adapting all public and private parks so that they can play in inclusive, accessible and safe spaces, providing them with tools to stimulate their physical development, psychological and emotional.
Now the national government has, within a period of six months, to issue the technical regulation that establishes the technical conditions and minimum infrastructure requirements of the integral parks, which respond to the following criteria: universal accessibility and equity, quality, common use , security, signage.
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