Sunday 7 December 2014

This post wouldn't be  hopeful at all. The politicians boast about achievements in a field of women's rights or avoid this topic. The average European believes the violence towards women is declining nowadays due to developing sensibleness. There is nothing more deceptive.

Have you heard about femicide? The term says it all. It's about the killing of women. However, the killing normally is accompanied by other brutality, like torture, mutilation, rape... It's connected, but not necessarily, with domestic violence, psychological or economic abuse. What is it the reason to commit crime? In short, the cause of femicide is misogyny and sexism. The problem reflect that women still are under male control. It's worth underlining that the killing will be denominate femicide if women´s gender is one of reason of it. Femicide embraces not only violence toward women but also abortion which is practised by selection of unborn girls (it's called selective abortion) or infanticide. In same cases, the jealousy is a reason to commit this crime.



Statistics are frightening. Ciudad Juárez (Mexico) registered 887 victims over the course of seventeen years (1993-2010). The situation is alarming because the digits aren't decreasing at present. It´s only one city in Mexico and all country doesn´t head this infamous list. According to report which presents average femicide in the course of years 2004-2009 El Salvador takes up the first position. I will enumerate a few countries in order: Jamaica, Guatemala, South Africa, Russian Federation. (You can find more information clicking on this link: http://www.comunicarigualdad.com.ar/el-mapa-de-feminicidios-en-el-mundo/)

The other disturbing fact is that the majority of guilty are still unpunished. In Latin American countries femicide is frequently connected with drug trafficking and with politics thus in many case the service presents a scapegoat who in reality is guiltless.

The tragedy touches not only a victim but also her family, friends and local community. The term derives from genocide and can take shape like fratricide, uxorcide, infanticide...For me, it doesn´t matter how form it take, but the violence contra other human being.

P.S. I haven´t load any picture because maybe someone couldn´t read this post. Nevertheless, I recommend you see some photos because words not always can describe all.

1 comment:

  1. I am glad that you mentioned the very gruesome issue of femicide. The map shows really alarming statistics, probably the most unveiled brutality is still somewhere in male-dominated and male-oriented cultures, among other in islamic countries. But what worries me most is the unspekable numbers of silent victims in our neighbourhood. There are so many women in Polish families that are threatened every day by their frustrated husbands, that are afraid to leave them, that suffer even more seeing their children being molested or beaten by their fathers. I believe there is a lot we can do about it, especially in the domain of education. So the more we talk about it the better. And don't be scared to show photographs. We are all visual creatures and in this way information gets faster to our brains!!

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