The National Service for Women and Gender Equality (SernamEG) announced on Monday that it currently lacks sufficient evidence to classify the murder of Camila Ponce Arriagada as a femicide. The young rideshare driver died after being brutally beaten and run over by a driver on Avenida España in Valparaíso on March 19.
According to a statement from the agency, the Valparaíso Regional Office has activated internal protocols to gather information in coordination with the Public Prosecutor's Office, the police (Carabineros), and the PDI (Investigative Police). However, the agency specified that information from the Intersectorial Femicide Coordination Subcommittee "does not, as of yet, allow for the establishment of violence motivated by gender reasons."
SernamEG detailed that the lack of evidence prevents the evaluation of legal actions, such as filing a criminal complaint for femicide. The institution noted that the case is currently under seal at the Valparaíso Prosecutor's Office, limiting access to information to only those directly involved in the legal proceedings.
Political tension and criticism of the administration
The agency's stance has drawn sharp criticism from lawmakers and the victim's family. During a session of the Senate's Committee on Women and Gender Equality, Ponce's family requested that the crime be investigated as a hate crime, arguing that there are elements pointing to an attack motivated by her sexual orientation.
Senator Karol Cariola (PC) questioned the government's management and the absence of Minister Judith Marín from the session. "The Ministry of Women is failing both Camila Ponce and her family," the lawmaker stated. Cariola also noted that "it is incomprehensible that the Ministry of Women, specifically, is not doing so. There cannot be two such different perspectives within the same government."
Following the session, senators agreed to formally request that the Ministry of Women evaluate filing a criminal complaint. Meanwhile, SernamEG confirmed it contacted the family between March 26 and 30 to arrange psychological support through the Victim Assistance Program (PAV) of the Undersecretariat for Crime Prevention.
The case dates back to March 19, when a road rage incident ended in the fatal attack on the young woman. The alleged assailant, who was a fugitive for several days, was recently arrested at the Colchane Border Complex following an attempted escape across Chile's northern border.
