Decoding Femicide: Understanding Gender-Based Violence in Latin America
"An in-depth look at the rise of femicide, its roots in social inequality, and the fight for justice across Iberoamerica."
Violence against women remains a persistent and devastating issue globally, with the most extreme manifestation being femicide – the intentional killing of women because they are women. This act, both tragic and deeply rooted in societal structures, demands urgent attention and action. From legal frameworks to cultural norms, understanding the dynamics of femicide is crucial for effective prevention and justice.
The term "femicide" gained prominence in the mid-1970s, thanks to the work of Diana Russell, who sought to bring visibility to these specific killings. Later, in the 1990s, Marcela Lagarde introduced the term "feminicidio" in Spanish to translate Russell's work, further solidifying the concept in Latin American discourse. Both terms have since fostered research, awareness, and political action, creating a vital space for addressing this issue.
This article delves into the existing research on femicide and feminicidio within the Latin American context. By analyzing literature in both Spanish and Portuguese, we aim to uncover how these terms are understood, applied, and debated in the region. We explore the key themes, geographical focuses, and the ongoing efforts to combat gender-based violence across Iberoamerica.
Global Estimates and Data Gaps
The UNODC–UN Women report *Femicides in 2024* provides updated data for 2024 and estimates that around 50,000 women and girls were killed by intimate partners or other family members. UNODC notes that internationally comparable data on these killings remain patchy, particularly in Africa, Asia and Oceania. The available data nevertheless cover enough countries and territories to produce global and regional estimates.
Definitions and Measurement
The UNODC–UN Women statistical framework describes its criteria for gender-related killings of women and girls as a statistical standard for data collection and harmonization. It also sets out a definition, a typology and variables for measuring femicide or feminicide. The Latin American Model Protocol notes that the terms have different accepted meanings in social sciences and uses “femicide” for gender-related killings except where a further distinction is necessary.
A Nineteenth-Century Domestic Ideal
A chapter on the history and typologies of femicide and feminicide describes a conception that persisted in nineteenth-century European regions such as Great Britain. Women were seen as guardians of the domestic-home domain, with a supposed power to reform the morality of their partners and children. The chapter characterizes this role as confined to the home.
Defining Femicide and Feminicidio: More Than Just Homicide
Initially, the term "homicide" was broadly used to categorize the killing of one person by another. However, this term often fails to capture the deeply gendered nature of violence against women. Diana Russell argued that "homicide" lacked the necessary specificity to address the unique motivations and societal contexts surrounding the killing of women.
- Femicide: Focuses on the act of killing a woman because she is a woman.
- Feminicidio: Expands the concept to include the systemic factors, such as state inaction or societal norms, that contribute to these deaths.
Limits to Comparable Records
The Gender Equality Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean reports that several countries improved their femicide or feminicide registries through legal reforms. Those reforms brought methodological adjustments that prevent strict comparison across the current period of annual indicator updates. Separately, UNODC reports that only a few countries can currently produce data on femicides outside the domestic sphere in compliance with the UNODC–UN Women statistical framework.
Regional Figures in Context
According to information from nine Caribbean countries and territories, at least 14 women in the subregion were victims of lethal gender-based violence in 2024. A report citing the Geneva Declaration’s *Global Burden of Armed Violence 2011: Lethal Encounters* says that 14 of the 25 countries worldwide with high or very high feminicide rates were in the Americas. It lists four in the Caribbean, four in Central America and six in South America.
Moving Forward: Eradicating Femicide Through Awareness and Action
As Claire Laurent, Michael Platzer, and Maria Idomir noted in "Femicide: A Global Issue That Demands Action," eradicating femicide requires a global commitment. By continuing to advance research, improve diagnostic tools, and implement preventative measures, we can strive to eliminate violence and ensure justice for all.
Law, Research and Regional Responses
A publication spotlight brings together analysis and statistics from Latin American experts, including case studies of social and institutional responses to femicide in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, and Guatemala’s Law Against Femicide. A separate paper proposes a critical reading of how law may reinscribe or produce structural and institutional violence. Its stated socio-juridical approach examines the terminology of “femicide” and “feminicidio” as part of that inquiry.
Persistent Harm and Reporting Gaps
A 2024 case report describes femicide as murder of a woman for gender-related reasons and says that, despite laws introducing tougher penalties and aggravating circumstances, an increasing trend points to flaws in the measures. The report presents a case but the supplied source material does not give further case details. UNRIC reports that since 2020 fewer countries have reported femicide data, particularly for killings by intimate partners or family members, and that only a small number track femicides outside the domestic sphere.