Femicide: An Epidemic for Women and Girls

“Hello there! I’m here to provide you with a bit of information on what femicide is, its various forms and causes, which groups are more vulnerable to this abuse, and the Indian laws relevant to this violation. Experiencing abuse in any form is NOT OKAY, but what you are experiencing as a result of abuse is valid. What you, as a bystander, are going through while supporting a survivor is absolutely okay and typical too! If you need additional resources or just someone to talk to, feel free to reach out to Imaara Foundation."

Written by: Megha Kishore 

Violence against women is not new. It has been prevalent for thousands of years. This includes verbal, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse and femicide. Most of these forms of violence are committed by current or former partners (UN WOMEN, n.d.).

What is femicide?

Femicide is a form of violence that appears at the extreme end of the violence spectrum. Femicide involves intentional murder of women because they are women. It also includes killing girls. It’s mostly perpetrated by men and sometimes family members of the victim.

What are the causes for femicide to occur?

• Gender inequality

• Sexism

• Misogyny

• Power imbalances

• Institutionalized discrimination (vawlearning, n.d.)

What types of femicide exist?

1. Intimate Femicide:

This form of femicide is typically committed by a current or former husband / boyfriend. Women who have a history of being in a violent relationship with their partner, are more prone to being assaulted, raped, or killed (WHO, n.d.).

2. Non- Intimate Femicide:

If femicide is committed by anyone other than an intimate partner, it leads to non-intimate femicide. This includes sexual aggression which leads to sexual femicide. Most serial killings that are motivated by misogyny and hatred, of which women are victims are classified as femicide (WHO, n.d.).

3. Dowry-related Femicide:

In India, murder of women takes place due to certain cultural practices. Newly married women get killed by their in-laws over dowry conflicts or insufficient dowry. Example: In 2006, 7600 dowry-related deaths were reported, and 25,000 newly married women were killed due to dowry-related violence (Crime records bureau, 2012) (WHO, n.d.).

4. Honor Killing:

Honor killing is the murder of a family member, mostly a woman/girl, because that person brought dishonor or shame upon the family. “Hamare Ghar Ki Izzat” is the line which roots down to this heinous crime. The causes are as follows (WHO, n.d.):

· Marrying against ones parents' desires · Losing ones virginity before marriage · Marrying into different caste/ religion · Girls prioritizing education/ work · Women/ girls being sexually abused · Having friends belonging to the opposite sex · Publicly announcing one's sexual preferences Honor killing violates:

1. articles 14 (Equality before law)
   

2. article 15(Restriction of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth)
   

3. article 19 (Protection of freedom of speech)
   

4. article 21 (Protection of life and personal liberty)
   

5. article 39 of our Indian constitution

Though laws and rules have been enforced to curb the endemic of honor killing, there continues to be a rise in the number of cases (Verma, 2021).

Which groups are more likely to perpetrate femicide?

1. Those who ae unemployed.
   

2. Those who have access to alcohol, cigarettes, and substances
   

3. Those who force others into sexual intercourse
   

4. Those who have mental health problems
   

5. Those who have a prior history of intimate partner abuse
   

6. Those who believe in gender inequality
   

Which groups are more likely to be affected by femicide?

1. Women who are pregnant

2. Women who have a prior history of being victims in intimate partner abuse

3. Women who have a child or children from past relationships

4. Women who have been estranged from their partner

5. Women who leave an abusive relationship

How can we reduce the rates of femicide?

1. Providing proper education to more people

2. Providing more job opportunities to people
   

3. Better governance and punishment for violators
   

4. Increased security

How can we work towards ending femicide?

1. Advocate human rights for women & girls.

2. Raise awareness on violence against women.
   

3. Increase access and financing to services offering protection for women /girls.
   

4. Implement policies to improve gender equality.
   

5. Advocate for a zero tolerance policy.
   

6. Strengthen surveillance and screening for intimate partner violence.
   

7. Train and sensitize staff in the medical field and other fields relevant to women's and girls protection.

What are the laws and Indian Penal Code (IPC) relevant to femicide?

Honor killing is considered as a distinct offence. The Indian Penal Code contains various sections that leads to punishment and imprisonment for individuals that have committed or have attempted to commit femicide. The sections within the Indian constitution are:

1. 299-304

2. 307

3. 308

4. 120 A

5. 120 B

6. 107-116

7. 34 & 45

The government has also launched the “Mahila Aayog” helpline number for women. It includes numbers state wise as well (Verma, 2021 ; Indian Government, n.d.).

Want the references for this article?

Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability. (n.d.). Types of Femicide | Femicide in Canada. https://www.femicideincanada.ca/about/types

Frequently asked questions: Types of violence against women and girls. (n.d.). UN Women €“ Headquarters. https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/faqs/types-of-violence

Indian Government. (n.d.). WOMEN HELPLINE. Indian helpline. https://indianhelpline.com/WOMEN-HELPLINE/

Mansi tyagi @Legal Awareness Jun 20, 2021, 17:04 IST. (2021, June 20). Honour killing in India. Times of India Blog. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/legal-awareness/honour-killing-in-india-33953/

Origins of Violence Against Women. (n.d.). Pbs.Org. https://www.pbs.org/kued/nosafeplace/studyg/origins.html

Vawlearning. (n.d.). Tracing the roots of femicide. https://www.vawlearningnetwork.ca/our-work/infographics/tracingtheroots/Tracing-the-Roots-of-FemicidePLAIN-TEXT.pdf

Verma, A. (2021, January 3). Honour killings in India and need for urgent reforms and new laws. iPleaders. https://blog.ipleaders.in/honour-killings-india-need-urgent-reforms-new-laws/ Western University. (n.d.). Forms of Femicide. Learning Network - Western

University. https://www.vawlearningnetwork.ca/our-work/briefs/brief-29.html WHO. Understanding and addressing violence against women. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/77421/WHO_RHR_12.38_eng.pdf