Feminicide is the most brutal form of violence against women. The killing of women is an immense problem, especially (but not only) in Mexico and Central America, with the symbolic case of the Mexican border town Ciudad Juárez. But since elsewhere, too, relatives and women's groups started to raise their voices against this crime and the total impunity, which in most cases protects the murderers; it has become obvious that the phenomenon is spread far beyond this region.

Two years ago, the European Parliament (EP) adopted a resolution on the murder of women in Mexico and Central America and the role of the EU in fighting the phenomenon. While underlining the states' responsibility to prevent, punish and eradicate violence against women, the EP resolution inspired a number of legislative initiatives to end impunity in Latin America and listed demands to the European institutions in order to combat feminicide. The EU has a large range of possibilities with which it can act and offer its support - what is needed is to reinforce the political will.

In May 2008 the Euro-Latin-American Parliamentary Assembly plenary session in Lima was a perfect moment to place the feminicide problem on the agenda of the Latin-American and European politicians as well as to rise public awareness. For this purpose the Heinrich Böll Foundation has organised several events with partner organisations in Lima and has presented a publication on Feminicides.

Until now available only in Spanish, see pdf (21 pages, 2.04 MB), the English version of this publication is out now, see pdf (24 pages,  1.10 MB).

On the same topic the Heinrich Böll Foundation's Brussels office has organised a lunch debate on 29 April 2008.
"Feminicides: A Global Phenomenon"
Speakers: Raül Romeva i Rueda, Vice-Chairman of the European Parliament´s Committee on Women´s Rights and Gender Equality,
Jeannette Llaja, lawyer, Catholic University of Peru, responsible of the area of studies on the defence of women´s rights, DEMUS
and Guadalupe Ramos Ponce, lawyer, legal expert of the National Observatory of Feminicides, Cladem
Moderator: Patricia Jimenez, Director Global Dialogue Programme, EU Regional Office Heinrich Böll Foundation, Brussels
Report available in English, German and Spanish.