The death this Friday of a woman who was dying in a hospital after being burned with gasolinin a busy square in Lima by her ex-boyfriend, who fled, shocks Peru and exposed again the slowness of the authorities in cases of femicide.
Katherine Gómez, 18, was doused with gasoline by her ex-partner who set her on fire in the middle of a public argument, being urgently admitted last Saturday at Loayza Hospital with burns on more than 60% of her body.
"He fought for his life, but, unfortunately, the amount of damaged body made it impossible for doctors to save his life and we have been informed that he has died," Women's Minister Nancy Tolentino told RPP radio.
According to the police, the perpetrator of the femicide is a 19-year-old Venezuelan man, identified as Sergio Tarache Parra, who fled the place amid the commotion caused by the aggression that occurred in the central Plaza 2 de Mayo.
Tolentino lamented the delay in issuing the arrest warrant five days after the attack. "The police have promised me that they will exhaust all avenues to locate him," he added.
The president of Peru, Dina Boluarte, spoke about the case to express her "total repudiation" of the crime in statements to the press. "I think this violence against women needs to stop. (...) Women are not owned by couples," she added. The minister urged young women not to accept "any commitment or relationship with a person who does not respect them that violates their rights."
Peru registered 136 femicides in 2022, against 146 in 2021 and 138 in 2020, according to official data.
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