The activity was convened by more than 60 organizations.

With the slogan "Femicide, tragedy and national emergency" the participants dressed in black and white began gathering outside the Congress from as early as 8am, when the chanted “stop the violence against women.”

Women and Health Collective president Sergia Galvan thanked the citizens for their support, and said she expects the authorities to respond likewise.

The organizers delivered a document to Chamber of Deputies Gender Commission chair Magda Rodriguez.

The document outlines demands of a higher budget to fight gender violence with prevention programs, improving the quality of services and legislation aimed at reducing aggression against women.

Women reject violence

DR1.com - In what should be startling news, Sergia Galvan from the Women's Health Collective said that 65,000 women have complained of abuse in the first six months of the year. In a report in today's Hoy newspaper, Cynthia Abreu describes a demonstration held yesterday, Wednesday 11 July outside the National Congress where they met with resistance from police. The demonstration was organized as part of a "National Day of Mourning for Femicides," which according to the organizers total 108 so far this year.

Dressed in mourning, the women carried banners and signs and called for larger budgets for the Ministry of Women, Public Health and Education as well as all the agencies that deal with women's issues and complaints in the National Police and the Justice Department. The group managed to deliver their portfolio of requests to Deputy Magda Rodriguez, who chairs the Chamber of Deputies Gender Commission.

Sociologist Rosario Espinal told reporters that as the role of men in the society is diminished, their levels of aggression increase. One incident during the demonstration occurred when the women demonstrators began to remove temporary barriers that had been set up to block their access to the National Congress. The women began to remove them and the police tried to stop them. The barriers were only removed after the arrival of Deputy Minou Tavarez Mirabal, who told the police that "the barriers are not necessary, these women have come in peace to deliver a document."

Even police officers are part of the growing problem:

PN officers, non-coms and agents fired

The Superior Police Council has ordered the discharge and retirement of 39 members of the National Police for inappropriate or ineffective actions in San Francisco de Macoris and Bonao, as well as domestic abuse, improper behavior, and bad police practice.

El Nuevo Diario says that three colonels and three majors have been placed in retirement for a lack of command and control of their agents. Several lieutenants were also sent into retirement, all with over 20 years of service. According to the newspaper, 29 of the retirees were the result of a recent incident in San Francisco de Macoris.

Read also: Dominican women suffer “bone chilling” violence, 66 women killed in first 4 months

"Women die in their homes and they die at the hands of their partners! "Violence against women is a stark reality in Dominican Republic, where 3 out  10 females have suffered its effects, said United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) resident coordinator Valerie Julliand. The “bone chilling” statistics are showing that 90% of the sexual abuse cases investigated are against children and adolescents, actions in which adults are involved. Seven fewer, but violent deaths claim 66 women in first 4 months......

Dominican Watchdog Note | You can put a monkey in a suit, but its still a monkey! These articles shows that there is a long way to civilization in the DR. And please remember this is only those who died, there are thousand of women gettting beaten up every day in the Dominican Republic!! Nicaragua has recently passed a law giving 10 years jail sentence to any man who beat a woman to stop the same Latin Macho madness. That law should be implemented in the DR too.