Cindy Arlette Contreras Bautista (born June 26, 1990) is a

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

vian lawyer and social activist. She is an

International Women of Courage Award The International Women of Courage Award, also referred to as the U.S. Secretary of State's International Women of Courage Award, is an American award presented annually by the United States Department of State to women around the world who have ...

recipient, and was also included in the ''Time'' 100 list of the most influential people.

Assault incident

Contreras came to notice after she was assaulted at a hotel in

Ayacucho Ayacucho (, , derived from the words ''aya'' ("death" or "soul") and ''k'uchu'' ("corner") in honour of the battle of Ayacucho), founded in 1540 as San Juan de la Frontera de Huamanga and known simply as Huamanga (Quechua: Wamanga) until 1825, i ...

by her then boyfriend, Adriano Pozo Arias, on 15 July 2015. Security cameras recorded her being battered and dragged screaming by her hair. The attack left her with damage to one of her legs, necessitating the use of a cane. Contreras went public with her demand for justice and pressed her case in the media. The evidence against her assailant was sufficient for a conviction but a three judge panel decided that he should be given a suspended sentence in July 2016. The violence toward her and the treatment afterward became a rallying point for the nationwide NiUnaMenos movement. The march in

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

was said to be the largest demonstration ever in Peru. In November 2016, the Appeals Tribunal of the Ayacucho Superior Court threw out the conviction and ordered a new trial on charges of attempted rape and attempted femicide. On 8 July 2019, he was convicted to 11 years in prison for attempted femicide, but cleared of attempted rape.

Recognition

In 2017 Contreras' advocacy was recognised by the US State department who chose her with twelve others to receive an

each in Washington. She was also chosen as an "Icon" by ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' magazine for their list of the 100 most influential people and listed as part of the 2018

BBC's 100 Women ''100 Women'' is a BBC multi-format series established in 2013. The annual series examines the role of women in the 21st century and has included events in London and Mexico. Announcement of the list is the start of an international "BBC's wome ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Contreras, Cindy 21st-century Peruvian lawyers People from Ayacucho Living people 1990 births Peruvian feminists Peruvian women activists Violence against women in Peru Recipients of the International Women of Courage Award 21st-century Peruvian politicians 21st-century Peruvian women politicians 21st-century Peruvian women lawyers