Organization, Mobilization, and Family and Feminist Action in the Face of Femicides in Latin America

Abstract

Femicide is the sexist and misogynistic killing of a woman, which takes places in the context of power relations involving dependency and inequality. According to official statistics from 16 Latin American countries, between 2005 and 2018, 13,438 femicides were recorded. However, despite the seriousness and recurrence of this type of murder, they still enjoy social acceptance; they are still justified in the media, and there are still high rates of impunity, negligence and inaction surrounding their occurrence. This fact has established the conditions for the organization and the mobilization of the families of femicide victims, whose actions have brought greater visibility to the problem, have attracted media attention, have fostered the counting of this type of murder, have drawn in both international organizations and the feminist movement, have attained a legal definition of the crime but, above all, are still demanding justice for the victims.