Feminicide in Mexico: Silence as a strategy of resistance

• In Event: Rethinking silence, voice, gender and power in Latin American contexts

Abstract

Feminicide is a serious problem in Latin America. Despite this, it is common for states to ignore or minimize the systematic killing of women, particularly in a growing context of generalized violence and insecurity post 9/11. Relatives, friends and civil society who demand justice are frequently silenced by the authorities in various ways. However, in countries like Mexico, this silence has empowered women, parents, relatives, and activists who have created spaces where their voices can be heard. Can this silence be a resistance strategy? The aim of this paper is to reflect on the strategies that women, families and activists used to denounce and fight against feminicide. These strategies, which emerge from what I call communitarian shock that together with solidarity, have given voice to voiceless: women violently killed and their parents, relatives, friends and activists who resist the silence imposed by the state.

Author

• Monica Trujillo-Lopez, Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla (UPAEP)