Criminalizing Gendered Violence in Latin America

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

Seven of the ten countries with the highest rates of feminicide (gendered killings of women) worldwide are in Latin America, yet the region has also been at the forefront of confronting violence against women (VAW). Latin American countries signed the first binding regional agreement on VAW, and feminists have mobilized in creative ways to push for reforms in their home countries. Many reforms have involved criminal justice responses, including women’s police in countries like Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Brazil, VAW courts and specialized public prosecutors offices in Guatemala, Honduras and elsewhere. Sixteen countries have adopted legislation that specifically addresses feminicide, assigning these crimes higher mandatory minimum sentences. Given the popularity of criminal justice responses to VAW across Latin America, it is worth exploring the potential promises and pitfalls of such an approach. Yet we have limited evidence to do so, in part because these reforms are relatively new and research has focused on social mobilization and institutional design. This panel begins to fill this gap by analyzing the impacts of criminal justice responses to various forms of gendered insecurities including trafficking, VAW, and feminicide. Drawing on research conducted on anti-trafficking efforts in Mexico (Hofmann), specialized VAW courts Guatemala (Beck), sexual violence trials in Guatemala (Hernández), gender violence alert mechanisms in Mexico (De Marinis) and legal reform in Mexico and Brazil (Brysk), this panel raises critical questions about the advantages, limitations, and unintended consequences of criminal justice responses to VAW, drawing out lessons for scholars and practitioners alike.

Sub Track

• Gender and Feminisms

Session Organizer

• Erin E Beck, University of Oregon

Chair

• Erin E Beck, University of Oregon

Individual Presentations

• Contrasting understandings of security in contemporary anti-trafficking campaigns with experiences of community security in sexual markets - Susanne Hofmann, Aston University

• Counting Violence and Calculating Justice: the Double-edged Nature of Bureaucratic Responses to VAW - Erin E Beck, University of Oregon

• Del (mal llamado) feminicidio íntimo al genocidio sexualizado - Mercedes A Hernández

• ¿A quién le estamos pidiendo protección? Alertas de género y construcción de (in)seguridad en regiones indígenas de México - Natalia L De Marinis, Centro de Investigación y Estudios Superiores en Antropología Social (CIESAS)

• The Struggle for Freedom from Fear: Mexico and Brazil’s Attempts to Address VAW in Comparative Perspective - Alison Brysk, University of California Santa Barbara