The night may feel safe for men, but during the nighttime, walking on the street is unsafe, and it is seen as a death wish for many women, mainly for women who reside in Latin America. Gang crime is extremely active at night, and Latina women are more likely to be punished by men if they reject or question the man. This opens up the possibility of a woman’s body getting heavily beaten to death. For example, one wrong look, and her eye is a red purple color and bruised. One hint of skin, then a man latches onto her unprotected skin without her consent. This heavily male-dominated world gives no peace to women and continues to cause harm to their bodies. Latina women from all around the world are forced to grow up in a patriarchal world by constantly keeping their eyes over their shoulders. To add on, femicide is extremely high in Latin America, and it continues to hold high rates of femicide. Well-known Latin American countries such as Honduras, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and the Dominican Republic contain one of the highest cases of femicide. The definition of femicide is when a man murders women because of their gender. Femicide is a “consequence of gender inequality, society structures, such as patriarchy, impunity, and institutional violence” (Saccoman, 2015, pp. 7). Their motivation is caused by hate and misogyny. It is important for the audience to understand that patriarchal and misogynistic values play a major role in femicide. In addition, women get brutally murdered, and the police force ignores the crime, which makes femicide extremely common in Latin America. The police force in Latin America is mainly made up of men, which illustrates why a majority of police officers ignore Latina women’s suffering. Although femicide occurs all over the world, Latin America has one of the highest rates, and the victims are unlikely to receive justice. Men are often the killers, and the victims are women. Furthermore, I will be using three of my six sources to support my argument as to why misogynistic and patriarchal values persuade men to murder women out of spite and how women utilize feminist movements to help cope with the abuse caused by men.
A majority of women living in Latin America are targeted by dangerous gangs. Crime is active in Latin American countries such as Honduras, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and the Dominican Republic. Men target women because “women in vulnerable situations, such as those who live in poverty or in marginal urban areas, are more likely to suffer from gang violence since they experience higher exposure to criminal activity. In this sense, gang members take advantage of females by inflicting physical and sexual violence on them, with consequences such as murder” (Álvarez-Garavito & Acosta-González, 2021, pp. 16). Women residing in Latin America face abuse in domestic relationships, but mainly from gang violence. Group gangs are mainly made up of men and function by engaging in toxic masculinity norms. They target women because men want to prove their power and view women as lower. The police force tries not to get involved, and this leads to femicide cases piling up on their desk. Although women’s bodies in Latin America are unprotected by the system, police force, and men, Latina women have fought back against the femicide occurring in their homeland by coming together to organize marches and feminist groups. These organizing and coping tools are used as a way to help with the abuse happening against their sisters and homeland. The government needs to prioritize femicide cases, and “femicidal violence can be prevented with comprehensive and forceful state responses. Profound transformations are urgently needed to ensure that the women and girls of our region can live violence-free lives, as José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs underscored” (ECLAC, 2024, pp.1). Femicide cases need to be prioritized by the police force and actually taken seriously. Many cases often get dropped and ignored by the system. Overall, Latin America needs to do a better job of protecting and prioritizing women’s needs.
Sources:
Álvarez-Garavito, C., & Acosta-González, H. N. (2021). Femicide in Latin America: An economic approach. Desarrollo Y Sociedad, 2(88), 11-42. https://doi.org/10.13043/DYS.88.1
Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). (2024). In 2022, at least 4,050 women were victims of femicide in Latin. Comunicado In 2022, At Least 4,050 Women Were Victims of Femicide in Latin America and the Caribbean: ECLAC | Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. https://www.cepal.org/en/pressreleases/2022-least-4050-women-were-victims-femicide-latin-america-and-caribbean-eclac#:~:text=jpg-,In%202022%2C%20at%20least%204%2C050%20women%20were%20victims%20of%20femicide,of%20the%20Economic%20Commission%20for
Saccomano, C. (2015). The causes of femicide in Latin America. Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals (IBEI). http://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep14204
