Over the last years, the influence of conservative groups in Latin America seems to have dangerously strengthened. Their participation in political life has become increasingly powerful and aggressive: they have more economic resources, are more active in the traditional media, and have become experts in the creation of post-truths that circulate in social media and severely affect women’s and LGBTIQ rights as well as individual liberties. These movements have a clear axis of attack: the education of girls and boys. From there, they fight the gender approach.

This documentary warns of the potential territorial, ideological and political effects of these movements as well as of the actors behind this ultra-conservative current in Latin America. It is not about an isolated event: This happens in many countries as Jerónimo Centurión proves is the case of Costa Rica, Colombia, Brazil and Peru.

Costa Rica came close to electing as president an ultra-conservative and homophobic evangelical pastor who threatened to pull out of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (with headquarters in San José) if it insisted on supporting equal marriage. In Peru, the documentary analyzes the increasing violence against women and the political pressures of evangelical groups, allies of former president Fujimori, that aim at eliminating the gender approach from schools. In Brazil, conservatives have taken out the word “gender” from the national curriculum. In addition, the most conservative and fascist politician has recently won the first round of the presidential election. In Colombia, a religious group succeeded in their campaign against the referendum to sign a peace treaty to end the conflict between the Colombian State and FARC guerrillas.

The documentary shows how these groups’ actions respond to a coordinated effort among forces that oppose democracy. It also identifies that behind this effort exists a pact, an alliance, between the Catholic Church and the most important evangelic factions. For centuries, these institutions have been rivals but they have come together to attain political power and from there, hinder the scarce sexual and reproductive rights recognized by the region’s governments, including the access to legal and safe abortion in the countries where it is legal. Gender Under Attack also aims at fueling a debate about the consequences that the advance of conservatism has in people’s lives as well as to demystify the most used and distorted concepts by this movement.

Gender Under Attack shows stories in four countries, Costa Rica, Peru, Brazil and Colombia. This documentary has been produced by CLACAI and Centurión Producciones.