From gender violence to femicide

Pierre Bourdieu (1998) asserted that male domination over women was the oldest and most persistent form of oppression in the present. It is also likely to be present in the future. Indeed, in 2016, in Italy, 149 women were victims of voluntary homicide: nearly 3 out of 4 were committed within the family. Gender differences are substantial: in the same year, approximately 16% of male homicide victims were linked to the family context (Source: Istat, 2017).

At the origins of femicide

What is meant by femicideThe term hit the headlines for an event dating back to 1992, in Ciudad Juarez, on the border between Mexico and the United States: 4.500 women disappeared, 650 were raped and brutally murdered, then their tortured bodies were abandoned in the desert, amid general indifference. It was the anthropologist Marcela Lagarde to coin this neologism. Here is an exhaustive definition (Spinelli, 2008): “Any physically or psychologically violent social practice that attacks the integrity, psychophysical development, health, freedom, or life of women, with the aim of destroying their identity through physical or psychological subjugation, to the point of submission or, in the worst cases, death of the victim. Physical, psychological, economic, or institutional violence directed against women, as women, because they do not respect the social role imposed on them.”. The killing of women is the final act in a continuum of socio-economic, psychological and physical violence (Source: International Women's House, 2013). It is no coincidence that it has been estimated that in the course of her life almost one woman in three has suffered a form of physical violence o sexual (Source: Istat, 2014). Approximately 9% of current or former female workers have suffered harassment o sexual blackmail in the workplace: 1 million 403 thousand women (Source: Istat, 2015). Just think of the recent case of the producer Weinstein accused of harassment by numerous actresses, then joined by other women, thanks to the movement #meetoo which has brought other stories of horrors to the forefront online.

Global facts

A small parenthesis for the acid disfigurementThis "practice" originates from some countries such as Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and has now sadly spread to Italy. It is yet another form of unheard-of violence with which the aggressor erases thephysical identity of the victim, sparing her life, in mockery. Violence and femicide are global phenomena, in the sense that they occur regardless of age, social class, culture, religion, or nationality. In 2006, ISTAT conducted the first study entirely dedicated to violence against women, called "Survey on women's safety”, thanks to the contribution of the Ministry for Equal Opportunities, anti-violence centers, and some victims. Current or former partners are predominantly the perpetrators of the most serious violence: 2.8 million women have suffered it (Source: Istat, 2017). Unfortunately, there is a hidden number of women who do not report or even seek services for various reasons; therefore, the figures cited may be higher.

A slow justice

Why do those who suffer violence stay with their abuser or don't report it? We are in the liquid company of the Professor Bauman where nothing is certain and stable. The motivations are multifactorial and concern socio-cultural legacies due to the patriarchal family in which the roles of man and woman were clearly distinct, as well as characterized by female submission. Add to this the emotional proximity to the perpetrator, the lack of economic independence, religious motivations, or, more simply, fear and the illusory hope that one day the situation will change. In other cases, it is the desire to emancipation Female violence leads to violent acts. From violence to femicide, it's a short step. One in three Italian victims stated that hospital healthcare workers minimized or failed to collect their testimony about the violence they suffered. The figure drops to less than one in five for foreign victims (Source: Istat, 2017). What role do institutions play? Reporting, arrest, and removal orders do not guarantee women's safety, partly due to the slow pace of justice. It's clear that there are gaps in this area that need to be addressed.

Counteracting the phenomenon

What tools are available to support women who are victims of abuse? The anti-violence hotline 1522; there are 140 anti-violence centres in Italy and 73 shelters (Source: Wave, Women against violence Europe, 2015); the national association DiRe – Women in Network against violence (founded in 2008); the Cam – abuse counseling centers; the SOS Stalking association. Let's not forget the lack of funds to maintain or expand these facilities, given the numerous requests for help. Legally, women are protected by the anti-stalking law no. 38/2009 (per stalking, meaning stalking behaviors or acts, threats, or harassment; the first country to adopt a law on the matter was California, in 1990), Law No. 119 of October 15, 2013, known as the "law against femicide," which introduced new aggravating circumstances for aggressors, harsher penalties, and precautionary measures. 15.733 adults were registered in the prosecutor's office for stalking-related crimes (Source: Istat, 2015). Primary prevention plays a fundamental role, addressing the root causes of violence, to create an equal social environment; it is necessary to start with information in schools and universities for effective awareness-raising. The television program "Criminal love” has provided important visibility to the phenomenon, telling the tragic stories of women destroyed by wrong relationships.

Protect yourself or respect?

The monstrosity of the explanation “women killed or oppressed because they are women” finds the following answer: “Violence against women is the manifestation of a historical disparity in the balance of power between men and women, which has led to men's domination over women and discrimination against them and has prevented real progress in the condition of women.” (Declaration on the elimination of violence against women adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations, 20 December 1993, New York). Generalising and not forgetting that there are good people in the world, it is women who must learn to protect yourself or men must assimilate the culture of respect, abandoning the idea of ​​dominance? Many women have fought for emancipation and fulfillment, many have achieved their dreams, others are on the verge of realizing them: it's absurd that, even today, we still have to protect ourselves from those who live alongside us. Perhaps we can truly speak of equality and reciprocity between women and men when there are no more deaths, beatings, or insults from a husband, a boyfriend, a father, a colleague, or a suitor. Let's not forget that, before men and women, we are essentially people.

Arianna Caccia