Living in Peru : your everyday companion

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz

When 39-year-old Teodolinda Tirado told her lover Daniel Casos she was ending their affair to go back to her husband, the 26-year-old beat her unconscious, strangled her to death and put her body in a suitcase.

Teodolinda is one of the nine women that are murdered every month in Peru by their partner or someone they know.

According to a report issued by Flora Tristán and Demus, two of Peru's feminist organizations, at least 403 women were murdered between January 2004 and July 2007 in ten of the country's regions.

With 127 murders, Lima had the highest homicide rate.

The region was followed by Cusco (63), Junín (56), Arequipa (41), La Libertad (26), Piura (23), Ayacucho (21), Huánuco (21) and Lambayeque (20).

Patricia Sarmiento, a member of the group that performed this study, stated these figures were based on printed newspaper stories.

"Real figures could be double," said Sarmiento, explaining 40 percent of the women had been killed by their mate.

Furthermore, it was reported that over 33 percent of the crimes involved a jealous man.