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What is Femicide?
What is Femicide?
Femicide focuses on the fact that when women are killed they are killed because of their gender. Femicide is seen as the most extreme form of terrorism against women, and is motivated by hatred, contempt, pleasure, or a sense of ownership. All killings of women, regardless of motive or perpetrator status, should be considered femicide.
Reasons for the high rate of Femicide
Reasons for the high rate of Femicide
Inequality was the only root cause of femicide found in the legislation analyzed. Eleven countries acknowledged the existence of gender inequality; however, this inequality was not linked specifically as a cause of femicide For example, in its preamble, the legislation of Honduras recognized that existing criminal sanctions do not recognize inequality as the cause of VAW. However, subsequent femicide provisions have not namedinequality as a condition of femicide. Identifying inequality as a cause of femicide is consistent with decades of social science research contending that power and gender are at the root of VAW. (Violence Against Women)
In Latin American countries it is hard for those who commit femicide to be charged with this specific crime. They have very few mechanisms to address gender-based violence in general. Law enforcement officials often claim that these femicides are spontaneous or accidental acts and seldom take appropriate actions to investigate them. They sometimes suggest that the women who are murdered are either criminals or prostitutes However, the majority of the victims are ordinary citizens. There seems to be a systematic indifference by the police to the femicide epidemic in Latin America.
Femicide in Latin America
Femicide in Latin America
Research has demonstrated that femicide occurs under different circumstances across countries. Although femicides are rooted in gender inequality the most prevalent femicide type differs by country, suggesting that country-specific conditions may perpetuate certain femicide types. Identified themes included (1) kidnapping and human trafficking, (2) sexual violence, (3) gang activity, and (4) aggravating factors. Although these themes often overlap, the degree to which they occur within the context of each country differs significantly, making it important to discuss these themes independently.Kidnapping and Human Trafficking Seven countries’ legislation included circumstances where the victim is held against her will or another crime is committed before her death. Kidnapping and human trafficking in Latin America are common precursors to femicide, particularly in the context of drug trafficking, gang activity, and sex trafficking . Similar to femicide, human trafficking is another highly gendered international problem . Among victims trafficked internationally, up to 80 percent are women.
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