Argentina was the only country in the United Nations to vote against a resolution that would protect women and girls, especially in "the digital environment."
In defense of the country's decision, Secretary of Religion and Civilization Nahuel Sotelo said on Monday that the resolution "invoked the women's agenda to limit freedom of expression" and had "a radical feminist approach" that lacked "scientific evidence," according to reporting by the Buenos Aires Herald.
Sotelo, an ultra-catholic activist, was appointed to his role in August, and his comments mirror the country's increasingly conservative stance since voting in far-right President Javier Milei in December 2023.
The resolution still passed with 170 votes in favor and 13 abstentions, and it encourages all 193 member states of NATO to establish a range of policies, including "comprehensive, coordinated, interdisciplinary, accessible and sustained multisectoral services, programs and responses for all victims and survivors of all forms of violence, including sexual harassment online and offline, that are adequately resourced," the Buenos Aires Herald reported.
Earlier this week, Argentina was also the only country to reject the Rights of Indigenous Peoples resolution to protect their spiritual beliefs, ancestral knowledge and languages.
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