Imagine walking down the street and being brutally assaulted, you ask your perpetrator why they are attacking you and they simply say, “because you’re a woman” then he kills you. In Latin America, this is a scenario that every woman fear will happen if she leaves the house.
Femicide is described as the intentional murder of women because they are women. Five main types of femicide include: Intimate femicide- when a husband or boyfriend kills their female partner, Honor-related femicide- when a family member kills a women in their family for “dishonoring the family”, Dowry-related femicide- when an in-law kills their daughter-in-law, Non-intimate femicide- when a man with no intimate relationship with a woman kills her, Sexual femicide- sexual aggression that leads to the murder of the woman.
Even though Latin America does not explicitly use the term “femicide” it is very prominent in this country. Latin America experiences some of the highest rates of femicide across the world. Since COVID-19 they have seen an increase in gender-based violence cases. Peru has some of the highest rates in gender-based violence cases. Their efforts in protesting and campaigns to put an end to this violence have not been working.
One example of how COVID-19 has influenced the increase in gender-based violence is due to having to stay isolated at home. This puts some women at risk by forcing them to be isolated with their abusers. “COVID-19 and mandatory quarantine have increased the number of cases of gender-based violence that thousands of women and girls face all over the world” (Almeida, 2020). Mandatory quarantine has forced these women to endure abuse they could normally escape when not on lockdown.
Another factor in the increase of gender-based violence due to COVID is the lack of employment, economic stability and stress perpetrators are experiencing. This intensifies an abuser’s anger and increases the danger the victim is in. With these factors in place, women are more likely to experience violence and abuse. “According to data from the Pan American Health Organization, in Latin America and the Caribbean, 1 out of every 3 women has experienced physical or sexual violence during her lifetime and, according to ECLAC, in 33 countries in the region, during 2019, the number of gender-based killing of women exceeded 3,800” (UN Women, 2020). This proves cases have been higher since the pandemic and shows how COVID-19 has made a negative impact on gender-based violence
Lastly, women are not receiving the help they need from organizations due to lack of resources during COVID. “women’s civil society organizations are under great pressure to adapt their services to new realities and to respond to an increased demand without additional resources” (UN Women, 2020). Organizations like these are extremely helpful for women suffering from abuse and are sometimes the only support they receive.
In conclusion, COVID-19 has severely affected femicide in Latin America. It has increased violence and decreased resources for the women experiencing the abuse. Protocols have been put in place to prevent future femicides such as- access to care, government partnership with organizations, zero tolerance police policy and investing in programs that provide protection- however due to the pandemic, these rules need to be further enforced to ensure the safety of the women in Latin America.