Thousands of women marched through Lima's streets Saturday against violence toward women, a major concern in many Latin American countries. Shouting "Not one more!" and "Enough Abuse and Violence," demonstrators also said they were seeking tougher punishments for offenders. Five women who are members of President Pedro Kuczynski's cabinet were marching, as one young demonstrator waved a banner reading: "So sorry to bother, but we are getting killed."
International monitors say Peru has the second-worst record in terms of the number of rapes, across Latin America. Murders targeting women because of their gender are also significant - more than 130 so far this year, in a country of 30 million, authorities said. Violence against women "is a widespread problem that affects our society. And unfortunately, not much has changed," said activist Fabiola Maza.