Femecide in Latin America




120 enraged Latinas stripped naked and positioned their bodies seemingly lifeless in mounds while their empty clothes remain scattered throughout the street. Above them fellow protestors raise a massive sign that reads ‘Femecidio es Genecido’, the name of this silent protest against Femicide in Latin America. This protest left a lasting image declaring a state of emergency for females who live life day to day with the impunities and violence imposed upon them.
Much of Central and South America are challenged with predicaments like economic crisis, the war with drug trafficking organizations, and lack of political assistance all of which are contributing factors of Femicide. Femicide is the term used to describe the massive outbreak of violent and usually deadly attacks against women. Acts of femicide can be categorized as an intimate personal relationship violence, sexual abuse in the streets, or drug trafficking organization related attacks. Femicide is a new term which only recently received any notice from governments, little to no action is being taken to ensure safety or justice to the victims. Consequently, the people of Latin America are finding any way they can to bring to awareness in the form of nonviolent protest
For much of Latin America, violence against woman is imbedded in their native culture which is dominated by machismo and chauvinism. The notion of machismo is associated with violence, power, aggression, and sexual dominance and often is the catalyst to Intimate Partner Violence. Zara and Gino (2018) explains the following:
Violence against women is a disabler of dignity, liberty, and rights of the person, with murder being its extreme form for silencing the individual. Despite psycho-criminological research providing evidence that violence can happen across cultures, sexes, and societies, other findings show that some forms of violence i.e. Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), which involves more frequently women as victims, is not rare in contemporary society. (pg. 1)
In a society where women are dogmatized by male dominance, the threat of sexual attacks occurring on the streets is imminent.  Another prime factor to the femicide is the war with drug trafficking organizations whom often manipulate and force women to smuggle drugs, prostitute, and many other heinous crimes. Drug Cartels have no mercy, and everyone is disposable to them, especially females.
Femicide refers to the mass killings of women and reflects the excessive masculinity that is associated with the drug industry. The use of women is often resorted to modes of retaliation against the government for its crackdown on drug trafficking, or as a threat to other DTOs. In May 2011, a 20-year-old woman’s decapitated head was found inside a phone booth, with a message warning the government to stop policies aimed at impeding criminal activity.  Drug trafficking seems to heighten the attitude that women are easily disposable, even though women often hold the family together in these societies. (C.0.H.A, 2011 [para 11])
On the contrary, most women who fall victim of femicide are not inclined to report it. Often, when a complaint is made a restraining order is filed but not enforced, leaving victims vulnerable and defenseless to retaliations attacks. In addition, many of the victims are the significant other of a gang member; and filing a report with the police would literally mean signing their life away.
                Most of Southern and Central Americas are plagued with political, judicial, and police corruption. An absence of efficient police investigation and conviction result in no deterrence for perpetrators.   Thus, beginning the vicious cycle of femicide, another attack, no repercussion, no justice.
Kahn (2017) illustrated the following:
Corruption and dysfunctional justice systems, as well as victim blaming make these cases almost impossible to prosecute. According to the COHA, “of the almost 50,000 women killed, only about 2,500 resulted in convictions.” This means that Mexican femicide cases have an impunity rate near 95 percent. These impunity rates are not exclusive to Mexico. Most Latin American countries see similar impunity rates for femicide cases. In Honduras, for example, the impunity rate spikes to 96 per cent while in Colombia, the rate remains at an average-for-the-region 90 per cent. Thousands of families are still waiting for justice to be served. (para. 4)
At the forefront of violence, it is vital for the leaders of Latin America to make the necessary adjustments to ensure justice is served. The only way to put an end to femicide is for there to be consequences, for those who commit crimes as well as the authorities who are indifferent to them.
                In response to femicide and impunities, the people of Latin America synergize non-violent forms of protest to illustrate to their cause, Femicide is Genocide. Their efforts can be seen in forms of rally protesting, to silent visual displays, to art galleries dedicated to victims, and even through music McVicar (2017) described the following:
 Lane is a self-described “artivist” who uses music and poetry to expose and condemn state violence in Guatemala from the genocidal internal armed conflict in the 1980s to today. During her first Canadian tour, organized by the Maritimes-Guatemala Breaking the Silence Network with stops in Halifax, Antigonish, Charlottetown, Fredericton, Toronto, and Montreal, she highlighted shocking statistics of violence against women in the Central American country and the role of the state in perpetuating misogyny. “There’s a very schizophrenic way of seeing us either as saints when we’re mothers and whores when we are not,” she said. She also drew parallels between state violence in the 1980s to what is happening today, through songs like “Cumbia de la memoria” (Cumbia of Memory). “Sexual violence in a war is evil. When there were massacres in Guatemala, they slaughtered all the men and raped the women and let them live because they wanted them to bear their children,” Lane explains. “And many women were forced to bear the children of the enemy. Coming back to the community was a thing of shame.” There has been a very long process to support women victims of sexual assault from over 30 years ago, says Lane, to help the women in their healing and to free themselves from guilt and shame. Lane lives as an outspoken feminist activist in a country that is both unsafe for women and hostile toward human rights defenders. When asked about her work in the face of these dangers, Lane expresses that she sees no other option but to raise her voice in the face of injustice, even though she knows she could be risking her life.  (para. 11-12)
With every movement, protest, or rally progress is made; governments throughout Latin America are taking steps to put an end to femicide. It will be a lengthy process to complete as femicide is a very intricate crisis, with a very intricate solution.
                To consummate femicide recognition of pain and fear victims and future victims of intimate partner violence, sexual abuse, and drug cartel related attacks is vital. Equivalently, Justice must be served including: proper investigation, proper convictions, and victim/witness protection. When there is a lack of justice, citizens will take necessary steps to bring awareness to the issues their authorities need to solve. Undoubtedly the one of the most profound moments of the “Femecidio es Gencedio” movement was the end; the moment when all the bodies of women who appeared to be mounds of dead bodies reminiscent of the holocaust stood up silently, put their clothes on, and walked away without uttering a word    

               


               
               
References

Council of Hemispheric Issues. (2011, October 28). The Rise of Femicide and Women in Drug Trafficking. Retrieved from http://www.coha.org/the-rise-of-femicide-and-women-in-drug-trafficking/

Kahn, G. (2017, October 9). Impunity and Machismo: Femicide Epidemic in Mexico. Retrieved from https://www.mironline.ca/impunity-machismo-femicide-epidemic-mexico/

McVicar, J. (2017, November 14). Guatemalan Feminist Hip Hop Artist Raises Voice Against State Femicide - Upside Down World. Retrieved from http://upsidedownworld.org/archives/guatemala/guatemalan-feminist-hip-hop-artist-raises-voice-state-femicide/

Zara, G., & Gino, S. (2018). Intimate Partner Violence and its Escalation into Femicide. Frailty thy Name Is 'Violence Against Women? Retrieved from Frontiers in Psychology website: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01777

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