Saturday, September 29, 2018

Feminicide across Europe: Poland


The notion of femicide has lately been introduced into academic discourse (Grzyb 2014 https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=292041), although its circulation is rather scarce. The only context where the term circulates is in the media coverage of femicide in Latin American countries, especially in Central America and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

1 Sources
To the best of my knowledge, there is no institution, public or non-governmental body, that collects data on femicide. The official criminal statistics on homicides do not disaggregate data according to victim’s sex.

2 Definition
In my paper (Grzyb 2014), I proposed a broader definition of femicide as the killing of a woman because of her gender.
M. Grzyb Kobietobójstwo. Kryminologiczna charakterystyka zjawiska [Femicide. A criminological approach.], [in:] Archiwum Kryminologii, vol. 36/2014, pp. 75-107
(by Magdalena Grzyb) 

In order to fight feminicide/femicide, various Latin American and European countries have adopted increasingly specific laws and legal instruments that penalize feminicide. The ratification of the Belém do Pará Convention1 in Latin America and the entry into force of the Istanbul Convention2  in Europe, demonstrate an increasingly stronger international commitment against this kind of violence. The establishment of the Bi-regional Dialogue on Gender by the European Union (EU) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), as well as the adoption of the Urgent Resolution on Feminicide in the European Union and Latin America3 by the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (EuroLat) also express this commitment.    


However, legal norms, agreements, and international dialogues alone are not sufficient for the eradication of violence against women, nor its most extreme manifestation, feminicide.


Traditionally, States were only responsible for their own actions or those of their agents, but international public law has evolved and currently, the principle of due diligence makes the State responsible for the prevention, investigation, and prosecution of violence, regardless of who commits the crime. The duty of due diligence obliges States to enter the private sphere, where historically, they have not intervened, but where the majority of cases of violence against women occur. 



Therefore, it is the duty of the State to take all necessary measures to prevent human rights violations, such as feminicide, before they occur. This means, on the one hand, adopting pertinent laws and policies to prevent, investigate, prosecute, and punish those guilty of abuse, and on the other hand, successfully implement them. 


Patricia Jiménez, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung – European Union, Brussels


https://eu.boell.org/sites/default/files/feminicide_eng.pdf
https://www.bez.es/30586611/derecho-aborto-merced-vaivenes-politicos.html
https://www.um.edu.mt/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/308017/March_9_Country_resources.pdf
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Friday, September 28, 2018

Abortion Declaration by 125 women: My Body Is Not Illegal



Right here, right now – extraterritorial termination of abortion

Terminating a pregnancy is not a sin. It is not taboo. Right here in South Korea, where abortion is prohibited by law, we speak for women choosing to terminate pregnancies. Abortion is a right that must be secured no matter the social status of the woman. Society speaks of abortion as a decision that only promiscuous or unmarried women choose. Pregnancy is considered a just punishment that such women must bear. However, abortion is an operation that is most frequently enacted worldwide, and many women choose abortion for various reasons. According to the Korean Association of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, it is estimated that around 3000 surgical abortions are conducted within our country every day. This is three times the amount our government estimates. During the single hour that our performance is taking place, 125 South Korean women decide to terminate their pregnancy. Right at this moment, we speak of the women that choose abortion. 125 of us have come together to make the following demands to a country that imposes the responsibility of unwanted pregnancies upon women, and women only.

We demand for the abolition of Clause 269 of Criminal Law.

Clause 269 is the result of an outdated effort for control over women’s bodies for population control. Our bodies have been considered a means for the realization of population policies. Until the 70s abortion was actively encouraged and promoted by a government that wanted to enforce birth control. As the lowered birthrate became problematic the government decided to legislate against abortion. Any surgical abortion practices other than the few instances allowed by the Mother and Child Health Law were ruled “immoral medical practice”, and penalties were strengthened. As such recent history shows, the voices of women have been sidelined in the decision-making process of pregnancy and childbirth. Regarded as instruments of government policies, women have been alienated from the conversation entirely, stripped of all autonomy. We reject the binary opposition of ‘life’ and ‘choice’. Our reproductive and health rights must be secured. Consider the movements across countries such as Poland, Ireland and Argentina. The abolition of anti-abortion legislation is a demand shared worldwide and cannot be silenced. We denounce the Constitutional Court that decided to postpone judgment of the unconstitutional criminalization of abortion. Abortion rights are basic human rights. All legislation that criminalizes abortion must be abolished.

We demand the right to safe abortion procedures for all

In a country that prohibits abortion women’s health rights are severely threatened. While costs for surgical abortion increase drastically, an increasing number of institutions refuse to perform the procedure. Women are exposed to dangerous circumstances and life-threatening complications. We demand for the right to choose freely and independently in the matters of sex, pregnancy, childbirth and abortion. We demand that all processes involved are guaranteed to be safe and unharmful. We demand that the discussion evolves from its outdated status – one that situates a binary conflict between child and mother. We ask for the right to abortion as one that locates within the realm of health rights. Abortion must be legalized to ensure safe processes and surgical procedures are available. We demand that no more women are threatened by the dangers of terminating a late-term pregnancy, as they wait for their request to be acknowledged under the limiting Mother and Child Health Law. We demand that no more young women end their lives on an operating table. We demand that no more women, who cannot pay for surgical procedures, endanger their own health by purchasing unverified medication that often lead to hazardous side effects. We demand that no more women are rejected by countless hospitals, turned away by every front desk. We demand the right to abortion procedures that are safe, free and accessible for all.

We demand the introduction of mifepristone, for the medical termination of pregnancy.

Today we take a single mifepristone pill together for all the women in countries that prohibit abortion like ours. We have been sent the medication by ‘Women on Web’, an organization that works to provide all women with abortion medication. Abortion can be surgical or medical, but in South Korea the latter is not an alternative. Medical termination of pregnancy through mifepristone has a success rate of 90 to 98%.  Mifepristone is not available in South Korea. Many do not even know that such medication exists. We denounce this reality where the reproductive health rights of women are not under consideration and demand the proper introduction of mifepristone to guarantee an option that is safe and accessible to all.

Signed by the 125 women gathered in Seoul on the 26th of August, 2018.


For more information please contact:

Femidangdang: email femidangdang@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/femidangdang/
Baumealame: https://www.facebook.com/baumealame/
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Thursday, September 27, 2018

Feminicide across Europe: Norway



1 Terms and definition The term “Femicide” is not employed in Norwegian texts, unless in reference to international work, and would be viewed as a foreign term without resonance in the Norwegian language. A preference exists for Norwegian terms. The Norwegian term used in official documents is “partnerdrap” translated as “partner murder” or “partner killing”, where the partner may be a man or a woman. We also find the term “kvinnedrap” or women killing, although it refers to the wider category of women and is less specific about the offender. In practice, the statistics specify the gender of the victim and the offender as “Women killed by…” or “Men killed by”. To illustrate, in 2015, we can read that Norway had 22 murder cases, with 23 victims and 24 offenders. Ten of the victims were the partner/ex-partner of the offender. Nine of these were women killed by their husband (7), a cohabitant (1) or former cohabitant (1), while one man was killed by his female cohabitant (no men or women were killed by a divorced or separated partner). Criteria for registration as a partner killing are that the offender and victim were married, cohabitant, or had registered partnership at the time of the killing, or earlier, prior to the killing. The Norwegian statistics then include separated, divorced, former cohabitants and former partners. Lovers who never lived together are not included.

2 Sources
The category “partner killing” (with the subcategory of femicide) has been registered systematically from 1990 onwards. In 1998, the government decided to initiate research on partner killings and the Centre for security, prison and forensic psychiatry («Kompetansesenteret for sikkerhets-, fengsels-, og rettspsykiatri») with Ullevål University Hospital, Oslo, as the responsible research institution. A doctorate study mapped all partner killings in the period 1980-2008 and was part of the governmental Plan of Action “Turning Point” (“Vendepunkt”) on intimate partner violence. In 2015, we saw a second major and extensive report on Partner killing in Norway 1990-2012. A mixed method study of risk factors for partner killings (Partnerdrap i Norge 1990-2012. En mixed-methods studie av riskiofaktorer for partnerdrap) (S.K.Bø Vatnar) also appeared from Oslo University Hospital (OUS) and was linked up with The Government`s Plan of Action against violence in intimate relations, Turing Point 2008-2011 (Regjeringens handlingsplan mot vold i nære relasjoner, Vendepunkt 2008– 2011).                                                                                                                                                                         
Further, every January, Kripos (The national unit for combating organized and other serious crime) publishes annual national statistics on murders, including “partner murder”, based on Strasak (reviewed crimes), itself based on the Police’s own criminal records.                                                                         SSP (The Central Criminal and Police Enlightenment Register) is used to update the overview of convictions.
The Shelter Secretariat (Krisesentersekretariatet or KSS) established in 1994 is another source, working on policy issues and praxis. This organization works as a link between the various public authorities, shelters, media, national and international organisations, research institutions and society in general. It is well known from media and beyond, for its work on violence against women and survivors.
The Norwegian Authorities have released five national action plans to combat violence against women and in intimate relations (2000-2003, 2004-2007, 2008-2011, 2012, 2014-2017); one international action plan against rape (2012-2014); one national action plan to reach gender equality (2014); three national action plans against forced marriages and two against female genital mutilation (FGM); and three different action plans on fighting against human trafficking. These reflect, frame, initiate and legitimate the ongoing work to prevent and handle intimate partner violence and killing of women, with the two often linked. In relation to human trafficking, Norway reports to the European Organisation GRETA, and in 2015 submitted The Report, submitted by the Norwegian authorities on measures taken to comply with Committee of the Parties Recommendation CP(2013)6 on the implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Being to the Secretariat of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. Their list of proposals to GRETA includes a Plan of Action against Trafficking, improved coordination, training of relevant professionals, annual meetings between relevant authorities and NGOs, new curriculum and special training in the Police, continued regular updating of the knowledge base for the Police, data collection and research, assistance measures for child and adult victims of trafficking.
(by Anne Ryen)


In order to fight feminicide/femicide, various Latin American and European countries have adopted increasingly specific laws and legal instruments that penalize feminicide. The ratification of the Belém do Pará Convention1 in Latin America and the entry into force of the Istanbul Convention2  in Europe, demonstrate an increasingly stronger international commitment against this kind of violence. The establishment of the Bi-regional Dialogue on Gender by the European Union (EU) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), as well as the adoption of the Urgent Resolution on Feminicide in the European Union and Latin America3 by the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (EuroLat) also express this commitment.    


However, legal norms, agreements, and international dialogues alone are not sufficient for the eradication of violence against women, nor its most extreme manifestation, feminicide.


Traditionally, States were only responsible for their own actions or those of their agents, but international public law has evolved and currently, the principle of due diligence makes the State responsible for the prevention, investigation, and prosecution of violence, regardless of who commits the crime. The duty of due diligence obliges States to enter the private sphere, where historically, they have not intervened, but where the majority of cases of violence against women occur. 



Therefore, it is the duty of the State to take all necessary measures to prevent human rights violations, such as feminicide, before they occur. This means, on the one hand, adopting pertinent laws and policies to prevent, investigate, prosecute, and punish those guilty of abuse, and on the other hand, successfully implement them. 

Patricia Jiménez, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung – European Union, Brussels


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Tuesday, September 25, 2018

Feminicide across Europe: The Netherlands


1 Sources
In the Netherlands, homicides in recent years (from 2003 onwards) have been classified according to the Dutch Homicide Monitor. For details on the construction of the dataset and the available variables, see Granath et al. (2011). This Monitor is based on various sources, which partially overlap, but also complement one another:
• All homicide-related newspaper articles generated by the Netherlands National News Agency (ANP). These articles contain much information on the characteristics of the homicides, the  perpetrators and victims.
• The Elsevier Annual Report. Elsevier is a weekly magazine that publishes an annual report on all occurring homicides. This report is based on both ANP articles and Police files.
• Data stemming from police records in the 10 Police regions in the Netherlands. Several Police regions supply (additional) data from their own documentation, which is incorporated in the database.
• Files from the Public Prosecution Service of the Ministry of Justice. This database includes the judicial procedures of prosecuted homicide perpetrators.

2 Definition
Femicides are not classified separately, as such. The available data allow for the extraction of female victims among sexual homicides, intimate partner homicides and other types of homicides.
(by Marieke Liem)


In order to fight feminicide/femicide, various Latin American and European countries have adopted increasingly specific laws and legal instruments that penalize feminicide. The ratification of the Belém do Pará Convention1 in Latin America and the entry into force of the Istanbul Convention2  in Europe, demonstrate an increasingly stronger international commitment against this kind of violence. The establishment of the Bi-regional Dialogue on Gender by the European Union (EU) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), as well as the adoption of the Urgent Resolution on Feminicide in the European Union and Latin America3 by the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (EuroLat) also express this commitment.    


However, legal norms, agreements, and international dialogues alone are not sufficient for the eradication of violence against women, nor its most extreme manifestation, feminicide.


Traditionally, States were only responsible for their own actions or those of their agents, but international public law has evolved and currently, the principle of due diligence makes the State responsible for the prevention, investigation, and prosecution of violence, regardless of who commits the crime. The duty of due diligence obliges States to enter the private sphere, where historically, they have not intervened, but where the majority of cases of violence against women occur. 



Therefore, it is the duty of the State to take all necessary measures to prevent human rights violations, such as feminicide, before they occur. This means, on the one hand, adopting pertinent laws and policies to prevent, investigate, prosecute, and punish those guilty of abuse, and on the other hand, successfully implement them. 

Patricia Jiménez, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung – European Union, Brussels


Leer más...

Sunday, September 23, 2018

Feminicide across Europe: Malta

                                                   


To date, Malta does not have an official body/entity which collects femicide data, other than the Police and, to the best of my knowledge, there it is classified as homicide. Moreover, nor has the definition of femicide been inserted into the criminal code. The Commission on Domestic Violence collects newspaper articles following the murder of a woman. For example, this year (2016), there were two such deaths in Malta; one in July and another in September.
 (by Marceline Naudi and Katya Unah)   


In order to fight feminicide/femicide, various Latin American and European countries have adopted increasingly specific laws and legal instruments that penalize feminicide. The ratification of the Belém do Pará Convention1 in Latin America and the entry into force of the Istanbul Convention2  in Europe, demonstrate an increasingly stronger international commitment against this kind of violence. The establishment of the Bi-regional Dialogue on Gender by the European Union (EU) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), as well as the adoption of the Urgent Resolution on Feminicide in the European Union and Latin America3 by the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (EuroLat) also express this commitment.    


However, legal norms, agreements, and international dialogues alone are not sufficient for the eradication of violence against women, nor its most extreme manifestation, feminicide.


Traditionally, States were only responsible for their own actions or those of their agents, but international public law has evolved and currently, the principle of due diligence makes the State responsible for the prevention, investigation, and prosecution of violence, regardless of who commits the crime. The duty of due diligence obliges States to enter the private sphere, where historically, they have not intervened, but where the majority of cases of violence against women occur. 



Therefore, it is the duty of the State to take all necessary measures to prevent human rights violations, such as feminicide, before they occur. This means, on the one hand, adopting pertinent laws and policies to prevent, investigate, prosecute, and punish those guilty of abuse, and on the other hand, successfully implement them. 

Patricia Jiménez, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung – European Union, Brussels


Leer más...

Friday, September 21, 2018

Feminicide across Europe: Macedonia


Generally, there is lack of data information and statistics on femicide in the Republic of Macedonia. This is due to the fact that is no legally binding definition of femicide in the legal acts of the Republic of Macedonia. The definition of homicide is covered under Criminal law. Some changes have been made in this definition due to the implementation of the Istanbul Convention.

The femicide data statistics can be obtained as follows: 
1. Through the general report by the Ministry of Internal Aaffairs on homicide data statistics. This report renders the question of femicide problem invisible, although it is reported that men are perpetrators of the homicide crimes. As to the motives for committing the murders, most of them are reported as occurring in the family circle, because of disrupted family relationships, with mostly women as victims. 
 2. Some statistical data on femicide can be obtained from the Ministry for Labour and Social Affairs through the National Strategy for preventing family violence and homicide, as the most extreme form of family violence. However, the data for femicide is not visible despite the fact that it is reported that most of the victims are female partners.  3. Unfortunately, femicide statistics are also not covered by the National Statistics Authority at the moment, due to the lack of research and official information provided
 (by Biljana Chavkoska and Viktorija Chavkoska)


In order to fight feminicide/femicide, various Latin American and European countries have adopted increasingly specific laws and legal instruments that penalize feminicide. The ratification of the Belém do Pará Convention1 in Latin America and the entry into force of the Istanbul Convention2  in Europe, demonstrate an increasingly stronger international commitment against this kind of violence. The establishment of the Bi-regional Dialogue on Gender by the European Union (EU) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), as well as the adoption of the Urgent Resolution on Feminicide in the European Union and Latin America3 by the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (EuroLat) also express this commitment.    


However, legal norms, agreements, and international dialogues alone are not sufficient for the eradication of violence against women, nor its most extreme manifestation, feminicide.


Traditionally, States were only responsible for their own actions or those of their agents, but international public law has evolved and currently, the principle of due diligence makes the State responsible for the prevention, investigation, and prosecution of violence, regardless of who commits the crime. The duty of due diligence obliges States to enter the private sphere, where historically, they have not intervened, but where the majority of cases of violence against women occur. 



Therefore, it is the duty of the State to take all necessary measures to prevent human rights violations, such as feminicide, before they occur. This means, on the one hand, adopting pertinent laws and policies to prevent, investigate, prosecute, and punish those guilty of abuse, and on the other hand, successfully implement them. 

Patricia Jiménez, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung – European Union, Brussels


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Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Feminicide across Europe: Lithuania


 Femicide as a consequence of intimate partner violence has been mainly utilized by women’s NGOs, which advocate for legal reform and policy changes in Lithuania. Data on femicide are generally collected under statistics for homicide.

1 Sources
The most reliable source on femicide is the crime statistics collected by the Ministry of Interior. The Department of Information Technology and Communications under the Ministry of Interior (DITC), in the Ministry of Interior, collects data nationally and manages its collection and systematisation.

Data includes cases of crimes, victims and offenders, as well as the beginning of the pre-trial investigation under the Penal Code. Records from police, prosecutors and judges of private prosecution cases should appear in the register. The national standard for recording the administrative data is the Order of the Minister of the Interior on Regulations of Institutional Register of Criminal Acts (LR Vidaus reikalų ministro įsakymas "Nusiklatimo veikų žinybinio reigstro nuostatai").5 The DITC refers to the collected administrative data to generate the statistics for crimes. It is possible to identify the numbers of victims and offenders according to gender and family relations in these crime statistics. DITS manages the database on any pre-trial investigations, in accordance with to the Penal code. Crimes reported by police to the judicial system include data on homicides by sex of a victim and family relations. Thus, statistics on femicide are identifiable. The DITC publishes these statistics on a specially designated website for violence against women, operated by the Ministry of Interior (http://www.bukstipri.lt/lt/statistika )

2 Definition
The term Femicide is hardly used in academic research. However, femicide might be retrievable under the Art. 129 of the Penal Code, which identifies sentences in cases of homicide. The same article defines the relationships between an offender and victim, in terms of close relative or family member.
 (by Vilana Pilinkaité)

In order to fight feminicide/femicide, various Latin American and European countries have adopted increasingly specific laws and legal instruments that penalize feminicide. The ratification of the Belém do Pará Convention1 in Latin America and the entry into force of the Istanbul Convention2  in Europe, demonstrate an increasingly stronger international commitment against this kind of violence. The establishment of the Bi-regional Dialogue on Gender by the European Union (EU) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), as well as the adoption of the Urgent Resolution on Feminicide in the European Union and Latin America3 by the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (EuroLat) also express this commitment.    


However, legal norms, agreements, and international dialogues alone are not sufficient for the eradication of violence against women, nor its most extreme manifestation, feminicide.


Traditionally, States were only responsible for their own actions or those of their agents, but international public law has evolved and currently, the principle of due diligence makes the State responsible for the prevention, investigation, and prosecution of violence, regardless of who commits the crime. The duty of due diligence obliges States to enter the private sphere, where historically, they have not intervened, but where the majority of cases of violence against women occur. 



Therefore, it is the duty of the State to take all necessary measures to prevent human rights violations, such as feminicide, before they occur. This means, on the one hand, adopting pertinent laws and policies to prevent, investigate, prosecute, and punish those guilty of abuse, and on the other hand, successfully implement them. 


Patricia Jiménez, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung – European Union, Brussels


https://eu.boell.org/sites/default/files/feminicide_eng.pdf
https://www.um.edu.mt/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/308017/March_9_Country_resources.pdf
Leer más...

Monday, September 17, 2018

Feminicide across Europe: Italy



The notion of femicide has circulated in Italy since 2004, when the European SARA and subsequently FEAR projects (both funded by the Daphne framework) were implemented. As a result of these projects, publications (Baldry, 2006) and conferences (2005) disseminated the term. In 2006, Spinelli authored a book bearing that title (Spinelli 2006). For the last decade, due to social, political, and NGO’s movements, the term has been used intensively, and even exploited by the media, with the aim of raising awareness on the topic. Debates are still ongoing as to whether the term should be used, or even if there should be a ‘dedicated’ legal term identifying these crimes. Attention peaks on specific dates in the year (8th March, International Women’s Day and 25th November, International

day against violence against women), when most of the media will discuss the issue and conferences are organized. Due to the fact that there is one femicide every three or four days in Italy, on average, media attention responds cyclically, focusing on the crime in the news. Social perception for the rates of violence against women is shaped by these waves of media response, together with social and political attention

1 Sources
Given that the definition of femicide is not always consistent between agencies and social contexts, in relation to ‘counting’ the victims, differences could also emerge. With this limit in mind, we can identify three bodies in Italy that collect data on gender-related killing of women in the country:
a) The most accurate and long-standing database on femicide is gathered by EURES (Center for Economic and Social Research). Since 1990, this private research center has collected data from media sources on voluntary homicide and it validates this information against the Ministry of Interior source that releases official data at the end of each year. Since 2000, EURES has also focused on femicide, by systematically collecting an extensive number of variables (inter alia: age, marital status, education, employment, etc.) related to both the victim and the perpetrator (Piacenti & Pasquali 2015). www.eures.it .  b) Casa delle donne per non subire violenza (Women's Home) in Bologna is part of the National Networks of DiRe shelters. This is an independent, women’s only NGO, established in the 1980s and aiming at preventing and eliminating all forms of violence against women. They publish and annotate data, but this activity does not appear to be a continuous endeavour. www.casadonne.it  c) Since 2014, the Ministry of Interior publishes a short report annually on intimate and family homicide. http://www.interno.gov.it/sites/default/files/dati_polizia_criminale_omicidi_violenza_di_genere.pdf d) The National Institute of Statistics gathers data on homicide, based on data from the Ministry of Justice and the Interior.

2 Definition
In reliable sources, femicide, although not used in the legal framework, is best defined as the killing of a woman because of her gender. Most cases refer to killing by an intimate partner. However, other killings of women would be included (e.g. a woman who is raped and then killed, an exploited woman or prostitute who is killed, other family related murders, could fall under this category). ‘Partner’ or ex-partner includes the current or a previous husband, living and dating partner, lover, occasional partner. The expression "family femicide" is also used to indicate killing by a relative, such as a father, son, or other.
 (by Anna C. Baldry, Consuelo Corradi and Augusto Gnisci)

In order to fight feminicide/femicide, various Latin American and European countries have adopted increasingly specific laws and legal instruments that penalize feminicide. The ratification of the Belém do Pará Convention1 in Latin America and the entry into force of the Istanbul Convention2  in Europe, demonstrate an increasingly stronger international commitment against this kind of violence. The establishment of the Bi-regional Dialogue on Gender by the European Union (EU) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), as well as the adoption of the Urgent Resolution on Feminicide in the European Union and Latin America3 by the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (EuroLat) also express this commitment.    


However, legal norms, agreements, and international dialogues alone are not sufficient for the eradication of violence against women, nor its most extreme manifestation, feminicide.


Traditionally, States were only responsible for their own actions or those of their agents, but international public law has evolved and currently, the principle of due diligence makes the State responsible for the prevention, investigation, and prosecution of violence, regardless of who commits the crime. The duty of due diligence obliges States to enter the private sphere, where historically, they have not intervened, but where the majority of cases of violence against women occur. 



Therefore, it is the duty of the State to take all necessary measures to prevent human rights violations, such as feminicide, before they occur. This means, on the one hand, adopting pertinent laws and policies to prevent, investigate, prosecute, and punish those guilty of abuse, and on the other hand, successfully implement them. 

Patricia Jiménez, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung – European Union, Brussels


Leer más...

Saturday, September 15, 2018

Feminicide across Europe: Israel



The notion of “femicide”, as such, is practically absent from Israel. In recent years, though, awareness to  “the murder of women” or “women murder” by their (normally) male family members is well evident in public discourse. Overall, the media plays a key role in Israel in disseminating the notion of “women murder” as a social phenomenon, which should be condemned. In addition, Israeli academics are among the leader scholars in the field of femicide. Nowadays, it is widely accepted that the murder of women by their family members warrants special attention. 

1 Sources 
Up until the last 5 years, apart from sporadic media-initiated projects, no data collection of femicide was available in Israel. The parliamentary Committee on Women’s Rights initiated, 5 years ago, a special report on violence against women, whereby femicide is supposed to be reported annually (https://www.knesset.gov.il/mmm/data/pdf/m03643.pdf). Despite being highly accessible to the public, this report was subject to meager dissemination efforts outside Israeli Parliament. After 2015, there was no systematic and formal data on femicide in Israel, just a statement by the Israeli Parliament with statistics that they said were gathered from the police (https://www.knesset.gov.il/mmm/data/pdf/m03849.pdf), but in fact differed from what the police reported.  
In addition, the Israeli Ministry of Internal Security, in its annual report on violence, now features a specific and distinct section on women victims of murder. However, no special attention is dedicated to the reasons for having these women murdered, and the report is laconic and de-contextualized on the topic. Another example for this disregard is shown in the Israeli police’s official Violence Report of 201 4 . d definitions for murder, noneThe report introduces no less than nine(!) different types an of which relates specifically to the murder of women.     

2 Definition 
The criminal code assigns no specific clause to femicide, and femicide murderers are charged with the general murder offence. In other reliable sources, femicide is mainly associated with the killing of a woman by an intimate partner, broadly defined. Highly prevalent as well is the expression "family honor killing", which is used to indicate killing by a relative, in non-Jewish communities in Israel, under a claim that a woman has manifested no respect to her family by being promiscuous. This type of femicide is perceived as a category of its own and is ultimately associated with killing a woman “due to her gender”, a characterization not easily assigned to other forms of femicide.  
  (by Yifat Bitton and Shalva Weil) 



In order to fight feminicide/femicide, various Latin American and European countries have adopted increasingly specific laws and legal instruments that penalize feminicide. The ratification of the Belém do Pará Convention1 in Latin America and the entry into force of the Istanbul Convention2  in Europe, demonstrate an increasingly stronger international commitment against this kind of violence. The establishment of the Bi-regional Dialogue on Gender by the European Union (EU) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), as well as the adoption of the Urgent Resolution on Feminicide in the European Union and Latin America3 by the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (EuroLat) also express this commitment.    


However, legal norms, agreements, and international dialogues alone are not sufficient for the eradication of violence against women, nor its most extreme manifestation, feminicide.


Traditionally, States were only responsible for their own actions or those of their agents, but international public law has evolved and currently, the principle of due diligence makes the State responsible for the prevention, investigation, and prosecution of violence, regardless of who commits the crime. The duty of due diligence obliges States to enter the private sphere, where historically, they have not intervened, but where the majority of cases of violence against women occur. 



Therefore, it is the duty of the State to take all necessary measures to prevent human rights violations, such as feminicide, before they occur. This means, on the one hand, adopting pertinent laws and policies to prevent, investigate, prosecute, and punish those guilty of abuse, and on the other hand, successfully implement them. 


Patricia Jiménez, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung – European Union, Brussels


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Thursday, September 13, 2018

Feminicide across Europe: Ireland



1 Background  
The word femicide is rarely used in Ireland; intimate partner murder or homicide are more common terms in use.  
2 Sources 
Data on femicide in Ireland are (potentially) available from the following sources:  

a) Central Statistics Office - An Garda Síochána (Irish Police Force) crime statistics are collected via the PULSE (Police Using Leading Systems Effectively) system and are collated and published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) Crime and Justice section on a regular basis. Data from annual and quarterly homicide offences can be dis-aggregated by sex of victim. Currently (September 2016), homicide data cannot be dis-aggregated by sex of perpetrator and relationship of homicide victim to perpetrator; however, this is anticipated to change in the near future when a more comprehensive data breakdown will become available in relation to crime statistics in Ireland. 

b) Courts Services – Murder legal cases in Ireland are heard in the Central Criminal Court. A review of relevant murder trial proceedings and sentencing is possible, to determine cases of femicide through information on the Courts Service website. However, this data is not collated as femicide statistics.  

c) Coroners’ Courts - In all cases of homicide, an inquest is held by the relevant coroner. Data on number of Deaths Reported, Post Mortems and Inquests held are reported on an annual basis by each Coroners office in Ireland; these are collated into national statistics by the Coroner Service Implementation Team. Currently (September 2016), these statistics are not dis-aggregated by sex of the deceased, nor by relationship of the deceased to anyone involved in the homicide. As a result, data in relation to femicide is not available through national Coroners’ statistics.  

d) Maternal Death Enquiry - Data on all maternal deaths (deaths during pregnancy, within 42 days of the end of the pregnancy and up to one year post-partum) are collected and analysed by the Confidential Maternal Death Enquiry Ireland Office (MDE). Deaths as a result of femicide during this time period are included in this data analysis and would be classified as "Indirect deaths". Data from Ireland is collated with data from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and published as triennial reports by MBRRACE-UK. The 2015 MBRRACE report contained a specific chapter on "Learning from homicides and women who experienced domestic abuse". Where known, the perpetrator of the homicide is documented as a family member, stranger or (ex)partner in the report.  

e) Women's Aid Female Homicide Media Watch - Women’s Aid are an Irish domestic violence, non-governmental organisation (NGO), which has collated media reported cases of femicide in Ireland since 1996. They report on the number of women murders, the location of murder, sex of perpetrator and relationship of victim to perpetrator of the murder. This data source and subsequent figures are referenced in medical and social care guidelines developed by the Irish College of General Practitioners and the Health Service Executive.  
See: https://www.womensaid.ie/about/policy/natintstats.html#X-201209171232213  

3 Definition  
The term “femicide” is rarely used in Ireland and does not appear in recent and relevant statutory national policy or guideline documents, nor in the Irish Statute Book (collection of Irish legislation). It is briefly referenced in the Women’s Health Council 2007, Violence Against Women and Health report. Instead, the terms: female homicide, intimate partner homicide or homicide/murder are used, as many of the statutory national policy and guideline documents and research adopt a gender neutral phrasing to domestic violence terminology. Holt defines femicide in her 2007 academic paper as “…the killing of a woman by her intimate partner or ex-partner.” (Irish Journal of Family Law 10(4)). 


 (by Siobàn O’Brien Green) 

In order to fight feminicide/femicide, various Latin American and European countries have adopted increasingly specific laws and legal instruments that penalize feminicide. The ratification of the Belém do Pará Convention1 in Latin America and the entry into force of the Istanbul Convention2  in Europe, demonstrate an increasingly stronger international commitment against this kind of violence. The establishment of the Bi-regional Dialogue on Gender by the European Union (EU) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), as well as the adoption of the Urgent Resolution on Feminicide in the European Union and Latin America3 by the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (EuroLat) also express this commitment.    


However, legal norms, agreements, and international dialogues alone are not sufficient for the eradication of violence against women, nor its most extreme manifestation, feminicide.


Traditionally, States were only responsible for their own actions or those of their agents, but international public law has evolved and currently, the principle of due diligence makes the State responsible for the prevention, investigation, and prosecution of violence, regardless of who commits the crime. The duty of due diligence obliges States to enter the private sphere, where historically, they have not intervened, but where the majority of cases of violence against women occur. 



Therefore, it is the duty of the State to take all necessary measures to prevent human rights violations, such as feminicide, before they occur. This means, on the one hand, adopting pertinent laws and policies to prevent, investigate, prosecute, and punish those guilty of abuse, and on the other hand, successfully implement them. 


Patricia Jiménez, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung – European Union, Brussels


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Tuesday, September 11, 2018

Feminicide across Europe: Iceland


Femicide as a concept has hardly gained any ground in Iceland. The term has only recently come into public use by the Icelandic members of the COST project on femicide.  
9.1 Sources 
Data on femicide as such is not collected in Iceland. However, three databases with information on murders provide the possibility to generate data on femicide in Iceland.  
a) Police data. The Police keep a closed data base on all crimes, including murders. This database can be consulted on request, i.e. access is limited, except for specific research use.  
b) Open source data. On Icelandic Wikipedia, a list of murders going back centuries in time can be accessed. According to verbal information, the list was created and is maintained by a lawyer. However, not all murder cases, including cases of femicide, appear on that list and the term femicide is not used. 
c) A closed database, called “Fons juries” exists (http://fonsjuris.is/about.php), which is not public, but private. People are required to pay for access to data in this database. The database includes all verdicts from 1999, which have taken place in Iceland. All the cases of femicide can be retrieved from that database, according to a legal definition of a murder in the General Criminal Law [Almenn hegningarlög] nr. 19/1940 (paragraph 211) and severe physical assault (paragraph 218), which might include assaults that result in death. This database does not include cases dismissed for lack of evidence, although there is a suspicion that a murder or femicide has occurred. Those kinds of cases are not included in the verdicts. 

9.2 Definition 
In reliable sources, femicide is best defined as the killing of a woman by an intimate partner. Partner is defined in a broad way, to include the husband, living and dating partner, lover; former husband, former partner and former lovers are also included in the definition. The expression "family femicide" is also used to indicate killing by a relative, such as a father, son, or other. 

 (by Freidis Freysteinsdottir and Halldora Gunnarsdottir)



In order to fight feminicide/femicide, various Latin American and European countries have adopted increasingly specific laws and legal instruments that penalize feminicide. The ratification of the Belém do Pará Convention1 in Latin America and the entry into force of the Istanbul Convention2  in Europe, demonstrate an increasingly stronger international commitment against this kind of violence. The establishment of the Bi-regional Dialogue on Gender by the European Union (EU) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), as well as the adoption of the Urgent Resolution on Feminicide in the European Union and Latin America3 by the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (EuroLat) also express this commitment.    


However, legal norms, agreements, and international dialogues alone are not sufficient for the eradication of violence against women, nor its most extreme manifestation, feminicide.

Traditionally, States were only responsible for their own actions or those of their agents, but international public law has evolved and currently, the principle of due diligence makes the State responsible for the prevention, investigation, and prosecution of violence, regardless of who commits the crime. The duty of due diligence obliges States to enter the private sphere, where historically, they have not intervened, but where the majority of cases of violence against women occur. 


Therefore, it is the duty of the State to take all necessary measures to prevent human rights violations, such as feminicide, before they occur. This means, on the one hand, adopting pertinent laws and policies to prevent, investigate, prosecute, and punish those guilty of abuse, and on the other hand, successfully implement them. 


Patricia Jiménez, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung – European Union, Brussels


https://eu.boell.org/sites/default/files/feminicide_eng.pdf

https://www.um.edu.mt/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/308017/March_9_Country_resources.pdf
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Sunday, September 9, 2018

Feminicide across Europe: Greece



There is no statistical data concerning the female death rate due to assault in Greece, as data on homicides are not sex-disaggregated. According to the Greek Police Statistical Service, the only available quantitative data concern the relation of the sex of the perpetrator or the victim and the locus of murder (2013): 





The dominant femicide pattern is that of intimate partner murder. The term “femicide” (γυναικοκτονία-gynaikoktonia) is not in use, even in media discourse, where these murders are described mostly as a “family tragedy”, “crime of passion”, “love crime” pr even “unexpected crime”, where the “unfortunate woman” lost her life. A representative case study could be a young man who kills his girlfriend, or wife, through his own excessive jealousy, particularly after she attempted to break up their relationship. Two particular characteristics are worth mentioning: the cruelty and, in some cases, the dismemberment and disappearance of the female body, as well as the suicide or attempted suicide of the perpetrator after the murder. 
(by Athena Peglidou)


In order to fight feminicide/femicide, various Latin American and European countries have adopted increasingly specific laws and legal instruments that penalize feminicide. The ratification of the Belém do Pará Convention1 in Latin America and the entry into force of the Istanbul Convention2  in Europe, demonstrate an increasingly stronger international commitment against this kind of violence. The establishment of the Bi-regional Dialogue on Gender by the European Union (EU) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), as well as the adoption of the Urgent Resolution on Feminicide in the European Union and Latin America3 by the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (EuroLat) also express this commitment.    


However, legal norms, agreements, and international dialogues alone are not sufficient for the eradication of violence against women, nor its most extreme manifestation, feminicide.


Traditionally, States were only responsible for their own actions or those of their agents, but international public law has evolved and currently, the principle of due diligence makes the State responsible for the prevention, investigation, and prosecution of violence, regardless of who commits the crime. The duty of due diligence obliges States to enter the private sphere, where historically, they have not intervened, but where the majority of cases of violence against women occur. 



Therefore, it is the duty of the State to take all necessary measures to prevent human rights violations, such as feminicide, before they occur. This means, on the one hand, adopting pertinent laws and policies to prevent, investigate, prosecute, and punish those guilty of abuse, and on the other hand, successfully implement them. 


Patricia Jiménez, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung – European Union, Brussels


https://eu.boell.org/sites/default/files/feminicide_eng.pdf

https://www.um.edu.mt/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/308017/March_9_Country_resources.pdf
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Friday, September 7, 2018

Feminicide across Europe: Germany

 


The term “femicide” is not widely used in Germany. One possible reason could be its similarity to “genocide” and its connotations for German history. Nevertheless, the killings of women are recognized as an extreme form of VAW and are included in criminological data and murder statistics, and are also recognized in research and policies on VAW. There are few publications and studies focusing on femicide; the most recent systematic work was a research study carried out by Luise Greuel (2009) on the escalation of violence in intimate partner relationships.1 In addition, Dr. Susanne Heynen has started a research project on homicide within families in the context of intimate partner violence, where relatives were interviewed about the circumstances and consequences of the homicides in a systematic manner.2

 Sources
There are 3 bodies that collect femicide data in Germany on a regular basis. However, two of them (with the exception of the police) are neither financed, nor institutionalized.
a) The German Criminological Police Statistics (PKS) collects all cases of killings (and additional data on the gender of the victims and victim-perpetrator relationship).3 Thus, the number of women killed and – to some extent –  the relationship to the perpetrator, can be accessed. Another available source is the court statistics on convicted perpetrators. Cases where the perpetrator is unknown and/or the relationship is not clear are not detailed. Therefore, the number of women killed by partners and/or ex-partners might be underreported in this source.
b) Over the past few years, The Network of Autonomous Shelters (ZIF) has collected cases of femicide using Internet searches alongside the published data from the police and the media. This information is collected for internal reasons and not published regularly.
c) In 1916, two researchers (Dr. Monika Schröttle and Julia Habermann) began systematically collecting information and data on femicides and building a national database. They also joined the European Homicide Monitor and are planning to institutionalize this project in the framework of a
national scientific monitoring of the Istanbul Convention and VAW, in cooperation with the German Ministry on Women and Family Affairs.4

2 Definition
In order to facilitate the collection of data on femicide, it is crucial first to include all cases related to the killing of women. Gender-based cases can then be filtered out according to the victimperpetrator relationship (e.g. the killing of a woman by a former or current intimate partner, by family members in the context of honour killings, or by other persons in the context of prostitution or sexualized crimes). The term “partner” needs to be defined in a broad manner, to include married and non-married, cohabiting and non-cohabiting relationships, dating partners and lovers.

(by Monika Schröttle and Ksenia Meshkova)

In order to fight feminicide/femicide, various Latin American and European countries have adopted increasingly specific laws and legal instruments that penalize feminicide. The ratification of the Belém do Pará Convention1 in Latin America and the entry into force of the Istanbul Convention2  in Europe, demonstrate an increasingly stronger international commitment against this kind of violence. The establishment of the Bi-regional Dialogue on Gender by the European Union (EU) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), as well as the adoption of the Urgent Resolution on Feminicide in the European Union and Latin America3 by the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (EuroLat) also express this commitment.    


However, legal norms, agreements, and international dialogues alone are not sufficient for the eradication of violence against women, nor its most extreme manifestation, feminicide.


Traditionally, States were only responsible for their own actions or those of their agents, but international public law has evolved and currently, the principle of due diligence makes the State responsible for the prevention, investigation, and prosecution of violence, regardless of who commits the crime. The duty of due diligence obliges States to enter the private sphere, where historically, they have not intervened, but where the majority of cases of violence against women occur. 



Therefore, it is the duty of the State to take all necessary measures to prevent human rights violations, such as feminicide, before they occur. This means, on the one hand, adopting pertinent laws and policies to prevent, investigate, prosecute, and punish those guilty of abuse, and on the other hand, successfully implement them. 

Patricia Jiménez, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung – European Union, Brussels


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Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Feminicide across Europe: Georgia


Data. According to a global study on homicide conducted in 2013, the intentional homicide rate per 100,000 population is 3.4, which puts Georgia in the group of low homicide rate countries. The percentage of male and female intentional homicide victims is 75.7 and 24.3, respectively.  
According to the analysis provided by the Chief Prosecutor Office of Georgia, 53 women were killed in 2014-2015, of which 27 murders were so-called “domestic violence murders”, and 18 women were killed by their intimate partners.  
1 Definition 
The term “femicide” has been used regularly by the media, activists, and the general public since 2014. The term “femicide” entered public discourse after a murder that occurred on October 17, 2014, when a man recently released from prison killed his ex-wife and then committed suicide in front of students and professors at Ilia State University in Tbilisi, Georgia. The broad media coverage of this particular murder and other killings of women in 2014 brought femicide into the foreground and caused a public outcry.  

Different organizations (NGOs, media, academia, state institutions) define femicide as the gender related killing of women, related to gender-based violence by an intimate partner.  

2 Legislation 
Legislation in the Republic of Georgia does not recognize femicide as a separate crime; all cases of killings of women are investigated and punished as crimes against human beings. Therefore, no separate statistics are collected on the killings of women, based on gender.  
Currently femicide cases are investigated under penal code articles, including: murder, murder in aggravating circumstances, intentional murder in a state of sudden strong emotional excitement, intentional infliction of grave injury that caused death, incitement to suicide, an article specifying domestic crimes, and articles that describe the commission of a crime related to sex. 

3 Sources 
Journalists and civil society can only speculate about the veracity of the data, since government institutions and legislation have not responded to requests for detailed crime data, which would help shed light on the actual trends. Government institutions (Ministry of Interior, Prosecutor Office, Courts) remain the source for collecting and disseminating data. No organization exists to collect and collate data from alternative sources and double-check the information. 
Groups following the topic include:  
Georgian Institute of Public Affairs (GIPA) (http://newscafe.ge/homicide/Honor_killing.html) which has received a grant from European Commission to track violent crime against women.   
In 2015, the Chief Prosecutor Office published an analysis on intimate and family homicide http://pog.gov.ge/geo/news?info_id=890  
 On April 4, 2016, the Georgian Young Lawyers Association released a study entitled, “Judgments in cases of femicide – 2014”. https://gyla.ge/en/post/kvlevis-prezentacia-femicidis-saqmeebis-ganachenebi-2014 
The Public Defender of Georgia publishes special reports: http://www.ombudsman.ge/en/reports/specialuri-angarishebi 
The UNFPA is paying attention to one particular type of femicide -- sex selective abortions.  http://www.unfpa.org/gender-biased-sex-selection 
The Georgian Center for medical psychosocial rehabilitation of torture victims works with victims of gender violence.  http://gcrt.ge/en/  

(by Tiko Tsomaia) 

In order to fight feminicide/femicide, various Latin American and European countries have adopted increasingly specific laws and legal instruments that penalize feminicide. The ratification of the Belém do Pará Convention1 in Latin America and the entry into force of the Istanbul Convention2  in Europe, demonstrate an increasingly stronger international commitment against this kind of violence. The establishment of the Bi-regional Dialogue on Gender by the European Union (EU) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), as well as the adoption of the Urgent Resolution on Feminicide in the European Union and Latin America3 by the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (EuroLat) also express this commitment.    


However, legal norms, agreements, and international dialogues alone are not sufficient for the eradication of violence against women, nor its most extreme manifestation, feminicide.


Traditionally, States were only responsible for their own actions or those of their agents, but international public law has evolved and currently, the principle of due diligence makes the State responsible for the prevention, investigation, and prosecution of violence, regardless of who commits the crime. The duty of due diligence obliges States to enter the private sphere, where historically, they have not intervened, but where the majority of cases of violence against women occur. 



Therefore, it is the duty of the State to take all necessary measures to prevent human rights violations, such as feminicide, before they occur. This means, on the one hand, adopting pertinent laws and policies to prevent, investigate, prosecute, and punish those guilty of abuse, and on the other hand, successfully implement them. 


Patricia Jiménez, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung – European Union, Brussels


Leer más...