The Harrowing Reality of Domestic Violence in Latin America

It remains exceedingly pivotal to turn our attentions to the drastic rise in crime against women across Latin America. Recent studies published by the United Nations have shown that Latin America is home to 14 of the 25 countries with the world’s highest rates of femicide [2]. Femicide, defined as the killing of women solely based on their gender, has become progressively more prevalent in cases of relationship violence. According to these reports, approximately 12 women and children are murdered each day across Central and Southern America [1]. In fact, in the year 2012 alone, roughly half of the women and girls lost their lives at the hands of their current or ex partner- a statistic that is increasingly shocking and polarizing in comparison to the the fact that one in twenty men are impacted by domestic violence [3]. In response to the rise of crime against women, the United Nations as well as the European Union have come together to launch an initiative against such violence. With $58 Million USD funding, the U.N. and E.U. are turning their focus to countries such as Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and Argentina, to educate the youth on the importance of treating each other with respect in intimate relationships.

For world leaders who met recently at the annual fall summit, learning to engage in and accept healthy dynamics with partners starts with young boys. For many, particularly in rural areas of South America where the education of women is neither prominent nor viewed as a necessity, violence against women is considered a norm. As stated by the foreign policy chief of the European Union, Federica Mogherini, “We must tell boys that beating up girlfriends is not the right thing to do.” However this begs the question: is simply telling boys that harming girls that this is wrong enough? Perhaps even more significant is educating young girls to know that there is a difference between love and possession or dominance, and there is in fact no such thing as a “crime of passion” but rather a harmful act in attempt to maintain control over another—despite what many media sources may claim.

One of the United Nations’ global goals to reach by the year 2030 is the elimination of all violence against women (Goldsmith,2018). So, how exactly are global leaders working towards their set initiative? In Latin America, several campaigns have been recently established such as the “Spotlight Initiative” or “Ni Una Menos” which translates to “Not One Less.” These campaigns strive to draw attention to and reach expeditious solutions to gender and relationship violence. Furthermore, the first Latin American Ppope, Pope Francis I, has taken steps to ensure that women are thoroughly protected under the eyes of the law and disband the outdated “machismo culture” in South America. In these countries, the line between “machismo” or masculine pride and violent aggression is often blurred if not entirely obsolete. Unfortunately, despite these mass campaigns gender-based violence continues to be on the rise particularly in Latin American regions leaving many wondering what, if anything, they can do to combat the unjust brutality of women. In many cases, it may be as simple as education. Educating yourself as a woman in regard to what you deserve, educating the men in your life on how you should be treated, and educating your children on what they should accept.

In our present climate it has become increasingly crucial for both men and women to educate themselves about domestic violence. For information on the issue and how to prevent intimate partner violence in your own community please visit “https://www.cdc.gov/features/intimatepartnerviolence/index.html”. If you or someone you know is struggling with domestic violence please visit https://www.thehotline.org to get help, get involved, and stay safe.

#domesticviolence #genderviolence #southamerica #latinamerica

References:

[1]. Goldsmith, Belinda. “Latin American Women Are Urged to Act On Violence to Cut Murder Rate”. Reuters. September 27th, 2018. Accessed October 15th, 2018.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-women-latam-violence/latin-american-women-urged-to-act-on-violence-to-cut-murder-rate-idUSKCN1M72KI

[2]. Creel, Liz., Lovera, Sara., Ruiz, Miriam. 2001, October 1. Domestic Violence: An Ongoing Threat to Women in Latin America and the Carribean. Population Reference Bureau. Accessed November 22nd, 2018.

https://www.prb.org/domesticviolenceanongoingthreattowomeninlatinamericaandthecaribbean/

[3].Wilson, Tamar. 2014. Introduction: Violence against Women in Latin America. Latin American Perspectives, 41(1), 3-18. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/24573973