Why we need feminism: Femicide
One of the [many] reasons I think we need feminism is because even if things might seem “alright” for women in the United States (right to vote, few women in govt, ect…), things are far from “alright” for women with multiple identities (women of color, women with disabilities, ect) in the US or women in other parts of the world.
Here is an example of the situation in Brazil. In 2019, at least four women are killed every day by their significant other .
“Femicide is the killing of women by a man because of her gender”. It is happening all over the world.
One interesting detail mentioned in this article is the killing of Marielle Franco. She was a black, gay, raised-poor councilwoman, and a “rising star” for social justice in Rio de Janeiro. Marielle Franco was killed in cold blood in the street, with little to no police reaction. Her murder remains unsolved, but suspicion is that two police officers are responsible for her killing. I was in Brazil when this happened and people were absolutely outraged.
What do you think? Do you think Femicide is happening in the US? Do you know of femicides in other countries? (for instance Juarez, Mexico is a shocking and mysterious example) Have you ever been in a country where femicides/assassinations have happened around you?
Thanks,
Kate
What a shocking news, Kate! Thanks for sharing this important information. I was really surprised to see the fact about Brazil’s current femicide situation- “at least four women are killed every day by their significant other.” First of all, I didn’t know about the term “femicide” until I read your post (I knew genocide, suicide, homicide, etc.)!
I got curious about the femicide situation in Japan and surrounding Asian countries, and actually found this shocking fact (https://time.com/4668658/violence-women-v-day-domestic-asia-homicide-sexism/). As you can see from the title, it reports how the three places in Asia (Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea) have the highest rate of female homicide in the world, especially by their intimate partners like husbands. While the world average percentage of female people in total homicide victims is about 20%, it’s about 50 % in those three places (cf. 20 % in the US). I was aware that domestic violence is a problem and often reported in the media in Japan, but was surprised to see this following sentence – “On average, a woman is killed by her intimate partner or ex-partner every three days in Japan.” This article also talks about how abused women tend to return to their abusive husbands for financial support, so it clearly shows the intersectionality of the problem (power inequality just because of gender but also because of socioeconomic status?).
I feel there must be a lot of cases women choose not to report the issue of domestic violence (sacrifice themselves for children) because they cannot live financially without their husbands, so it is often underreported and problematic.
Thank you for bringing this to my attention!
Mari – I had no idea that this problem was happening in Japan as well. That is so sad and crazy. I like the quote that you chose about women returning to their husbands for financial stability. One thing I would love to dig into is the question of why women continue to return to their abusive husbands. Usually, it is out of fear of being followed, attacked, or killed. I had a friend in Brazil who was with a man who seemed nice, but beat her and sexually assaulted her at home. She kept going back to him and forgiving him. I think she was afraid of what would happened if she left him officially. What was even worse is everyone knew the situation, even our male friends, and no one did anything.