Rejection of the measures taken by Javier Milei's government in Argentina
From the CLACSO Working Group on Critical Disability Studies We express our deep concern regarding the current situation in Argentina. The victory of Javier Milei, supported by a discourse that considers social justice an aberration and promotes the “law of the jungle” and “every man for himself,” represents a major setback for those of us who recognize our interdependence and vulnerability. The emphasis placed on freedom—both individual and market-based—only serves to recreate a social imaginary that obscures the intrinsically relational nature of our existence. We are troubled by the strong emphasis on the need for austerity measures, as we know that those who ultimately bear the brunt of them are the historically most vulnerable sectors, including people with disabilities.
In line with these ideas, the new president began his term with a shock plan that included, as one of its first measures, a devaluation of the Argentine peso by more than 50% against the dollar, representing a significant loss in the real value of wages for most of the country's population. This is compounded by substantial increases in food and fuel prices, which will only exacerbate the already alarming rates of poverty and extreme poverty.
On Wednesday, December 27, 2023, the current Executive Branch of the Nation sent to Congress a bill known as the "Omnibus Law" which proposes a series of measures that tend towards deregulation, privatization of public companies, job insecurity and commodification.
In this context, we consider the proposed amendments to the Mental Health Law (26.657) alarming, as they grant the judiciary the power to order involuntary hospitalizations without requiring an interdisciplinary team to conduct an evaluation. Furthermore, the proposed amendments seek to modify the article prohibiting the creation of psychiatric hospitals, enabling private companies to establish new single-specialty, institutionalized facilities, thus reinforcing the asylum model that has caused so much harm and restricting the decision-making power of patients. Among the proposed changes, patients and their families within the healthcare system, as well as non-governmental organizations dedicated to the defense of human rights, are also excluded from the Review Board.
Furthermore, we found another regressive initiative regarding social security: the current pension adjustment formula, used to update the amount of non-contributory pensions, is being eliminated, and increases will be set at the discretion of the Executive Branch by decree. This further exacerbates the precarious situation of people with disabilities and those experiencing intersectional issues.
Another worrying point is the dissolution of the National Institute Against Discrimination (INADI), dedicated to preventing discrimination. Given that disability is one of the most frequently reported causes of discrimination, this proposal directly affects the disability community, abruptly halting significant progress in raising awareness of this social issue.
This bill does seek to regulate social demonstrations, since its articles criminalize the right to protest and impose a series of unusual rules such as the duty to notify the Ministry of Security of mobilizations and fines for those who want to express themselves in the streets.
In turn, on December 29, 2023, Decree of Necessity and Urgency 70/2023 came into effect, containing 366 articles that substantially reshape the course of Argentina. Among other things, it eliminates price controls on prepaid medical insurance premiums, which directly impacts the costs of accessing basic services for people with disabilities.
Forty years after the country's return to democracy, we reject these types of proposals that eliminate, without prior discussion with different sectors of society, rules that have been deeply debated in democratic forums.
It is also worth noting that the group of people with disabilities, as such, is not mentioned in any of these articles. However, their exercise of citizenship, already scandalously compromised by the numerous and diverse barriers existing in our society, is severely affected. The consequences of these policies for people with disabilities, who represent 13% of the Argentine population, are immeasurable, since this group includes retirees, workers, children, artists, scientists, the unemployed, and so on. Furthermore, the link between disability and poverty is exacerbated under these conditions.
These regulations, presented in a violent and ableist context by a political group that made numerous supremacist and discriminatory demands during its campaign, suggest an intention to reinforce the harmful "ideology of normality" imposed on our societies and to halt any progress toward a more equitable society. This is because they completely eliminate any affirmative action policies aimed at equalizing opportunities, which still face so many challenges. These policies deeply concern us, and that is why we do not want to limit our concerns to the specific grievances of the disability community. Instead, we call for organization, for building ties and alliances to defend democracy and the rights we have won.
January 11, 2024
CLACSO Working Group
Critical studies in disability
This text expresses the position of the aforementioned Working Group and not necessarily that of the centers and institutions that make up the CLACSO international network, its Steering Committee or its Executive Secretariat.
