The city of Tigre, Argentina has addressed gender violence ever since the tragic death of 17-year old Carolina Aló in 1996. Initially focused on victim assistance, the government now works towards a more holistic response and has thus incorporated a program for violence prevention. Known as the Programme for the Prevention of Gender Violence among Adolescents, this organism strives to avert gender violence through education on healthy relationships and gender roles (how to paraphrase?).

Following the high profile murder of a 17-year-old girl in Tigre, Argentina, in 1996, city authorities began to focus on violence against women. Initially focused on victim assistance, the government is now working toward a more holistic response and has incorporated a program for violence prevention. In 2011, it created the Programme for the Prevention of Gender Violence among Adolescents which aims to avert violence agasint women through education.

Acknowledging the vulnerable emotional state of adolescents in general and the patriarchal social structure in Argentina, the program helps adolescents recognize “red flags” that may signal potential relationship violence. It addresses gender roles and stereotypes through workshops in secondary schools and conducted a survey to understand the situation of domestic violence in the province. The survey expressed that the Supreme Court's Office on Domestic Violence received 657 reports of violence only in January 2011, and that the victims were women in 78 percent of the cases. It specifically stated that “one out of four women in Argentina has been the victim of some kind of violence”, that most femicides are committed by partners of the victim, and that victims of violence range in age from 19 to 50. "A woman is murdered every two days in the province of Buenos Aires," the report also said.

The publication of the survey inspired the city government’s creation of a specialized police force to address cases of violence against women. It has also prompted a government-led movement to discuss gender stereotypes at preschool and primary school levels and inspired non-governmental organizations to join the cause.

Compiled from: Targeting Teens in Prevention of Gender Violence, IPS Gender Wire, (7 May 2011).