This image shows a woman confronting a member of the Carabineros de Chile, the paramilitary national police force, during protests against the failure of the then president, Sebastián Piñera, to address demands on gender equality and the protection of women.
It was taken on 1 June 2018 in the capital, Santiago. That night, the crowd were chanting slogans: “Where were they when they were raping us, killing us, and nobody does anything?”
In Chile, women had been organising, for many years, to demand an end to gender inequality, and against all types of systemic and structural violence against women and girls, while student movements were calling for reforms on sexism in education and abortion rights. Yet that day, Piñera did not mention any of their demands in his public address.
There was huge disquiet among the women, and as the account was being read we saw hundreds of police being deployed around us. At the end, they rushed towards us.
The first line of women resisted with their bare hands against the blows from the police shields. The girl in the picture was screaming with all her soul at the policeman, who was pushing her with inhuman coldness.
I saw a lot of sadness and fear in her eyes, but also enormous courage and conviction. I was standing only a few metres away; I was wet and affected by the teargas, but felt the same determination to be there.
I remember that when the police removed us, there was a great feeling of defeat – of injustice, impotence and terror. That is why the image provokes strong emotions in me, because that is what we women always feel. It represents, for me, the struggle against a patriarchal system that is not interested in our lives.
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About a year ago, a young woman approached me at the Chilean national congress. She looked anxious, and confessed to me that she was the person in the photograph. She surprised me enormously. Her name is Macarena and she told me that she is still fighting for women’s rights. It gave me great joy and I hugged her tightly.
Five years have passed and the demands are the same. We are clear that the struggle for gender equality is long term and there is hope – because we women are on the frontline, holding political spaces, homes and lives that allow societies to advance.
Nicole Kramm Caifal is a documentary film-maker, producer and freelance reporter based in Santiago. Her work focuses on Latin American issues and conflicts, including state violence, gender equality, and cultural and humanitarian matters. Follow her on Instagram at @nicole_kramm
English (US)