No more killings! Women respond to femicides in Central America

Abstract

This article looks at a specific form of social violence against women in Mexico and Central America, the violent murder of women Á/ femicidio or feminicidio in Spanish, 'femicide' in English. We explore the nature of femicide by analysing the situation from a gender perspective, as an extreme form of gender-based violence (GBV), and linking femicides with discrimination, poverty and a 'backlash' against women. In a climate of total state impunity, it is extremely important to support the responses of feminists and women's organisations in the region who are carrying out research to document femicides and GBV in general, supporting survivors and their families, and carrying out advocacy activities.

Femicídios: homicídios femininos no Brasil

“…However, despite its relatively lower rates, female homicides constitute a social problem and its magnitude is not comparable to that in the male population 7 because most female homicides are gender-based. 19 The fact that one third of all deaths occurred in the victim's home supports the assumption notion they were femicides, i.e., deaths caused by an intimate partner, family member or acquaintance, contrasting with male homicides that largely occur in public spaces.…”

“…8,20 This change in gender roles is refl ected by the growing number of families where the woman is in the labor market and her partner is unemployed. Unemployed men may use violence against women to assert their authority, 19 and male unemployment has become a major risk factor for femicide. 6 The fact that this change has been seen mostly in large urban centers may explain the lower female homicide rates found in most northeastern states that have more conservative societies characterized by traditional gender roles and lower rates of female entry into the labor market than in other Brazilian macroregions.…”

“…Male murders are not caused by gender inequalities but rather by street violence: fi ghting, territory control, gangs, drug traffi cking, death squads 19 while the majority of female homicides are caused by intimate violence that permeates the interpersonal relations between men and women.…”

“…25 Femicides have been strongly associated with gender inequality and discrimination, economic deprivation, and aggressive masculinity and machismo including use of fi rearms, involvement with organized crime, drug and human traffi cking, armed confl icts and high rates of male homicides due to physical violence. 12,19 The socioeconomic conditions of the victims vary by country and circumstance. The pattern of femicides that is repeated in most countries suggest that women are at much higher risk than men of being killed by an intimate partner and this risk increases when there are disagreements between the couple.…”

“…In short, they are poor young migrants who live in slum areas or irregular housing projects, work in jobs with poor working conditions and are highly vulnerable. 19 In Brazil, studies on femicides have showed higher rates among young white women with low schooling who are unskilled workers while the perpetrators are young married men, usually less educated than their victims, with a criminal record, repeated involvement in fi ghting, and engaging in threatening behaviors and violence against women. 3,4 The objective of the present study was to assess female homicide rates according to sociodemographic and health indicators.…”