Women in Argentina protest after alleged rape, murder of 16-year-old

Buenos Aires: Women across Argentina protested gender-related violence on Wednesday after a murder and alleged rape of a 16-year-old girl in a coastal town last week.

The group known as Not One Less organised the protests, which were also called in other Latin American countries, and expressed outrage over the death of Lucia Perez in Mar del Plata, as Argentina confronts a scourge of drug-related violence.

Recent polls show security has replaced inflation as the top concern for Argentines, and Perez`s case has spurred particular outrage.

Prosecutor Maria Isabel Sanchez told reporters last week that Perez was drugged with cocaine had suffered "inhumane sexual aggression" that triggered cardiac arrest.

"They washed her body and dressed her to make it look like an overdose," she said.

Two men known for selling drugs outside a school were detained on Sunday and charged with rape followed by homicide.

A woman is killed once every 30 hours in Argentina, according to Permanent Assembly for Human Rights, an Argentine non-profit group.

President Mauricio Macri`s government has announced a new offensive against drug traffickers, sending federal troops to reinforce hot zones such as the port city of Rosario and Buenos Aires province, where Mar del Plata is located.

On Friday police found a threatening note aimed at popular Maria Eugenia Vidal, the governor of Buenos Aires province and Macri ally, in a burned down courthouse.

The Not One Less movement called a one-hour pause from work and study between 1 and 2 p.m. and many women in Argentina dressed in black to mark the occasion.

Local media reported Argentina`s Senate would end a session early on Wednesday so members could participate in a demonstration scheduled for 5 p.m. (2000 GMT) in Buenos Aires.