Femicide rates and awareness in Latin America vs. Canada

Origins of Femicide

All over the globe, women face violence, torture, and abuse from their male counterparts that result in their demise. Although the abuse women endure is anything short of a novelty to our world it is a shame that this extreme and all too common gender-based violence has been able to make a name for itself known as femicide. More specially femicide is defined as “violence against women comprises a wide range of acts – from verbal harassment and other forms of emotional abuse, to daily physical or sexual abuse. At the far end of the spectrum is femicide: the murder of a woman” according to World Health Organization (WHO). Diana Russell, a feminist pioneer, expert, and activist on violence against women, reintroduced the concept of femicide in 1976 publicly in the new era at the International Tribunal of Crimes Against Women to draw attention to violence and discrimination against women. Russel described early definitions of the term femicide as “the misogynistic killings of women by men” and “the murder of women by men motivated by hate, contempt, amusement, or a sense of possession of women.” This term later expanded to include the phrase "the killing of one or more females by one or more males because they are female." In Canada the term's significance was perhaps most explicitly shown in 1989 when 14 women were killed in what is now known as the Montreal Massacre . An occurrence that brings Canadians together every year on December 6 to commemorate the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. Femicide is normally committed by men, but female family members are sometimes involved which is distinct from male homicide in a number of respects. For example, most cases of femicide are committed by ex-partners or spouses and include domestic violence, threats or coercion, sexual violence, or circumstances in which women have less control or resources than their partners .

Different types of Femicide

There are many different types of femicide and some are more common than others. The first type of femicide explored is intimate femicide. This is characterized by a current or former husband or boyfriend or intimate family member (ie. father, brothers) committing femicide . On a global scale, it is evident that women are discriminated against, murdered, or beat in intimate relationships more often than men. There are lasting effects of intimate femicide especially for children as one parent has been murdered and the other put in jail leaving the child vulnerable to the foster care system Non- intimate femicide on the other hand is the murder of women by those who do not have an intimate relationship with the perpetrator. It is important to recognize that sexual femicide and/or serial killing may be involved, but not classified as non-intimate femicide because it is difficult to detect the sexual violence or the misogynistic motive in such crimes when investigating Due to colonial and patriarchal values, residential schools, and intergenerational trauma, aboriginal women and girls face a significantly higher risk of femicide than all other women in Canada(). This is classified as the murder of Aboriginal women and girls because of their gender. The last type of femicide examined is called murders in the name of "honor". It refers to the assassination of women/girls whose actions (e.g., spouse selection, schooling, employment; dressing "inappropriately"; premarital sex) are seen as bringing shame to their families. Although only four types of femicide are described there are many different kinds such as dowry-related femicide, racially motivated femicide, and homophobic femicide.

Causes of Femicide

WHO has demonstrated some of the high-risk factors that could lead to the more common form of intimate femicide. These factors for the perpetrator include unemployment, gun ownership, and prior abuse of their intimate partner. As well as for women becoming pregnant, the presence of a child that is not biologically related to their intimate partner and leaving an abusive relationship. There are also a few factors that have been able to aid in the prevention of femicide and decrease the amount of femicide occurring such as higher education, enforcing legislation against firearms, or even having a separate domiciled . The plethora of causes for femicide and all forms of hate against women is deeply entrenched in the foundations of patriarchy, misogyny, and gender inequality. Ultimately, as long society and individuals continue to accept, tolerate and justify such egregious acts against women femicide will continue to manifest and increase its domain.

Femicides in Latin America vs. Canada

There is a significant difference between femicide rates in third world countries such as Latin American countries as opposed to first world countries like the U.S.A. and Canada. More than half the countries with the highest femicide rates in the world are in Latin America, leading with Brazil and Mexico. In Mexico, ten women are killed every day on the basis of gender. Less than 5% of these murders are ever solved or properly processed by the justice system. Femicide cases are often portrayed by the media through the abuser’s point of view, which leads to the invalidation of the victim’s life and story. This is not something that only happens in Latin America, but is a tendency throughout any country that has an issue with femicides.

Femicide is not a pressing national issue in Canada, but the reality is not the same for most Latin American countries. The publication “A Gendered Analysis of Violent Deaths”, reports that out of the 25 countries with the highest rates of femicide, 14 are Latin American countries. It seems to be a common issue for governments to fail to take action against abusers and to prevent femicides. Most Latin American countries recognize femicide as different from a homicide, applying a gender based lens when looking at homicides of women. Socio-economic standings play a significant role when looking into why femicides happen, but the education system and toxic patriarchal society of most countries make matters even worse. Mothers are often the ones who promote these patriarchal ideas into their children’s minds. They teach their male children that they should always be treated like kings and that they deserve the world. This can lead to a toxic superiority complex which leads them to believe that they can treat other people, especially women, however they want to and will never have to face the consequences of their actions. Society does not like to admit it, but it is often women who are behind the males that grow up and become abusers and killers.

There is a very strong “machismo” culture in Latin America, which means for someone to have strong or aggressive masculine pride. Women’s rights are an issue practically everywhere in the world, but most cultures don’t share such a strong “machismo” mentality as do most Latin American countries. Canada’s cases of femicide increased in 2020, rounding out at about 160 women murdered in the year. Although this figure is not as big as the average in Latin America, each of these women’s lives is significant and not only a number. It does not matter if it’s 100 cases or 1000, each one matters and action needs to be taken against the perpetrators.

Vulnerable Groups

In Canada the majority of femicides are committed against Indigenous women. The Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability (2010) states that inadequate state responses as well as historical and current impacts of colonization have been identified as contributors to the high femicide risk faced by Indigenous women. Indigenous women in Latin America, especially in Mexico, are often victims of femicide. This is because society tends to forget about Indigenous communities and does not give them the recognition and respect they deserve, which enables some people to believe that they can do whatever they want to people in these communities.

As for femicides in Canada, Amber Dawn’s memoir: How Poetry Saved My Life, touches a little on the topic. Femicides per say are not mentioned in the text, but there is mention of how sex workers are targeted and often victims of femicide. Sex workers are also a very vulnerable part of the female population, as they are often targeted by men because they don’t even see them as women, but as objects they can do with what they please. Sex workers in Latin America are often victims of femicide, which also seems to be an issue in Canada. Dawn shares the story of Shelby, a trans woman whom she used to work with that disappeared and word was that she had been cut into pieces and left in a shopping cart outside a laundromat. An investigation was never opened, there was little to no media attention, and not very many people cared. Shelby was a victim of femicide, even if Dawn does not state it as so in her memoir.

This case is similar to one that happened around February of 2020 in Mexico City. 25-year-old Ingrid Escamilla was murdered and mutilated by her husband in her own home. Images of her body were plastered all over media outlets and newspapers, invalidating who she was as a person and instead serving the purpose of re victimizing her and making it available for anyone to see. No media coverage is harmful when trying to raise awareness on femicides and the lives of the victims, but excessive media coverage tends to re victimize these women and speak of them as yet another case or only a number, not as a human being.

Intersectionality and Gender Disparity

Homicides are slowly decreasing: since 1975, male victims have dropped by ~40% and female victims by ~50%. Although our focus is femicide and violence against women, it is still important to note that men have greater deaths related to homicide, and the perpetrators of said homicides despite gender differences of the victim are normally men; making men the majority of victims and killers.

Gender Inequality

Intimate femicide

The majority of perpetrators are acquaintances if not strangers to male victims, contrarily, the majority of female homicide perpetrators are spouses or family of the victim. In Canada, ~48% of female homicides were committed by an intimate partner compared to ~4% for male homicides. Another Canadian study claims intimate partner homicide is 4x as common for female victims than males (these statistics vary significantly and this may be due to differential definitions of the term “intimate partner”(husbands, boyfriends, ex’s), nonetheless both are extremely high ).

Sexual harassment & Violence

Women are also more likely to experience violence at home, be victims of dating violence, or victims of sexual harassment . 1 in 17 Canadian women experience rape in their lifetime, this is significantly higher than men and similar to femicide, the perpetrator is generally someone they know. The rate of sexual assault and rape unlike the decreasing trend of most crimes, has remained constant. Women are objectified and seen through a sexual lens more than men: in Prayers For The Stolen women are at the mercy of men, literally taken off the streets to be raped, sold, or killed, and women in response had to disguise themselves as ugly or as boys to avoid harm.

Who is MOST vulnerable?

In addition to sexism, multiple forms of oppression including LGBTQ association, disability, ageism, classism, and racism increase a women’s marginalization by society thus increasing their vulnerability to abuse and femicide.

Ageism

Male homicide rates exceed females’ at all ages except between 0-11, this time frame is where young girls are most vulnerable to femicide. The second age group most vulnerable to femicide is between 15-24 years old. Between 15-24 women are also at greatest risk of violent crime, they are 42% more likely to be victimized compared to later ages 25-34 . As women age, in turn, their vulnerability decreases (after the age of 24).

Ableism

Women with impairments, whether cognitive or physical, experience violence 2-3x as often as the non-impaired. And with disabilities, these victims may lack support or necessary help, may find it not only psychologically difficult but also physically challenging to leave violent homes, or may be financially reliant on abusive partners or family. Concurrently, an impaired individual who identifies as non-heterosexual is 3-4x more at risk of spousal violence than heterosexuals .

Socioeconomic Status

Lachaud found that homicide rates increased with lower socioeconomic status. Poverty, lower income, and lower class are all associated with greater crime. An example of this would be the extreme victimization of sex workers, whether abuse or homicide, they are more vulnerable than the average woman.

LGBTQ community

The LGBTQ community suffers in various ways from discrimination, to abuse and homicide. They experience high levels of hate crime. And it is important to note that even within this community they are faced with different degrees of oppression, for example transgender peoples are more vulnerable to homicide than those who are lesbian or gay.

Racism

Many studies have incorporated race as a factor in gender-based violence and homicide. One study focuses on femicide victims as a result of intimate partner violence and found Latina, African American and foreign rather than domestic women were victims more often than white women of any ethnicity, and more often than the general population . Thus women with a skin colour other than white are more vulnerable.  Even more discouraging, Howard reveals that cases of violence reported by non-white women to the criminal justice system are treated with less severity, with their perpetrators receiving less harsh punishments than if white women reported the crime .

Indigenous community

Aboriginal women (First Nations, Inuit, Metis), whether in regards to abuse or homicide are at high risk of victimization. They are 2.5x as likely to be abused, and 6x as likely to be killed than non-Aboriginal women . Another study claims Indigenous women are 12x as likely to be killed or missing compared to the general Canadian population, and 16x more vulnerable than white women . Femicide trends concerning all mentioned oppressions above, even homicides of male victims, prove to be on a downward scale, however the femicides of Aboriginal women has remained constant.

As shown above, there is no or shouldn't be an “over-simplistic and monolithic sisterhood” as referred to by Samuels and Ross-Sheriff: meaning it is not as clear cut as ‘women are oppressed’ because even if the majority are, not all women have these experiences and if they do their different levels of identity intersectionality add privilege or further oppression to their given personal circumstance .

What can we do?

Awareness and Eradication

Femicides are absolutely preventable and work at both a community and structural level are necessary for a comprehensive effort at eradication.

• One of the most important and ideal ways to approach the issue of femicide is to establish collaborations between political/legal systems and grassroot organizations that work in this space (CFOJA, 2018). While non-profit and non-governmental organizations focus on the field and research, laws and policies to prevent femicide can be brought into effect with the assistance of the government and allied bodies.
• A certain amount of funds and grants can be set aside for projects or efforts related to femicide. These funds could be given out by the Government (CFOJA, 2018).
• Special committees can be set up by the government to focus particularly on issues related to violence against women and femicide (CFOJA, 2018). Attention must be paid to the unique concerns and circumstances of the minority groups that are at risk of femicide.
• Education and awareness programs about femicide, the patriarchy and gender based violence should actively involve and encourage the participation of groups that are not usually targets of femicide (CFOJA, 2018). Comprehensive and explicit practices to prevent gender based violence and femicide must be outlined.
• Efforts must also be made to economically and socially uplift women. Programs must be tailored to suit the varying levels of issues marginalised and minority groups may face (CFOJA, 2018). Structural and systemic changes must be encouraged to target the root causes of femicide.
• It is important to actively involve vulnerable communities and people actually at risk of experiencing gender based violence or being targets of femicide in the process of creating awareness and eradication policies, protection and programs (CFOJA, 2018).
• Sensitivity training for first responders such as police officers should be necessary and clear procedures about how to deal with instances of gender based violence and femicide must be outlined (CFOJA, 2018)(WHO, 2012). This process should be conducted while paying attention to cultural differences and the needs of especially vulnerable groups (eg. Indigenous women, sexual minorities)
• Programmes and policies that focus on elder abuse and violence against people with disabilities should be formed (CFOJA, 2018).
• Social, financial and legal support should be offered to people who have been targeted by gender based violence (CFOJA, 2018) and appropriate mental and physical health care should be provided. Efforts to reduce the likelihood of gender based violence reoccurring or fatal consequences like femicide must be made.
• Constituting groups or spaces at the community level, for instance in schools or in areas of religious worship, for women and girls. They can use these areas to talk about instances of abuse, gender based violence or other issues they may be facing. Online groups may also be established for women who do not have easy access to outdoor resources.
• There should be opportunities for women and girls to talk about violence or abuse with medical professionals in the absence of their partner or other individuals. These opportunities should be created in culturally sensitive ways and ensure the safety of the woman or girl.
• Increasing education and literacy rates for girls and women may serve as a protective factor against femicide (WHO, 2012).
• Strict laws and penalization for acts of femicide and gender based violence should be established (WHO, 2012).
• Access and ownership of guns have been associated with the incidence of femicide, especially in the US. Strict laws related to gun ownership and limiting their use may be one successful way of reducing rates of femicide (WHO, 2012).

The future of the movement

It is important that efforts to end female femicide are consistent and match people’s needs as society and its norms evolve. Intersectionality should be a key component when creating policies and interventions that target gender based violence and femicide (Cho et al., 2013). It is essential to note that issues such as femicide, abuse and violence do not affect people equally and there are a disproportionately high number of victims from particular communities. Systems of oppression, such as racism, homophobia, ableism, classism and so on, interact with pre-existing patriarchal ideals and put people at risk for femicide and gender based violence at varying levels.

Peers and media can strongly influence attitudes and are key when it comes to socialisation (Little et al., 2016). Capitalizing on the advent and rise of new forms of media to spread awareness, create communities and networks as well as provide easier access to help or resources could be beneficial in efforts against femicide.