The worrying term ‘political femicide’, explained and coded by a French group

The term “political femicide” has existed for several years and has been used by women politicians, such as former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet to denounce the abuses and impediments of which she was a victim during her term because she was a woman. It has also been used around the world by sociologists, or journalists who are experts in women’s rights.

However, this term has no legal value and has not been investigated or quantified either, until the collective Youpress France decides to dedicate itself to making a global balance of what it considers a “political femicide”, that is, andThe fact of murdering a woman for being a woman and having a role in some political and social cause.

Because of her gender and struggle

The work team, made up of independent women journalists, called the investigation “Femmes à abattre” (women to eliminate). JanThis, they assure that there were 287 political femicides in 58 countries for a period of three years. This is the first investigation dedicated to this phenomenon with the aim of having it recognized in legislation.

“The term political femicide means that the activist was murdered both because of her gender and because of her struggle. She has never been the subject of any investigation. Nor is this crime recognized by law anywhere in the world,” she explains. Leïla Miñano, one of the authors of the report.

In France, “Vanesa Campos, a trans woman sex worker from Peru, was shot multiple times in the body in August 2018 by gang members who harassed, raped and robbed her and her colleagues. Vanesa was identified as the leader against this gang, since they had organized themselves to defend themselves. The criminals acted to regain control of the territory, ending their resistance, according to the prosecutor at the trial,” recalls sophie boutboulanother of the authors of the investigation.

The Colombian case

The report explains that Colombia registers the highest number of political femicides, some 150 in total in the last 10 years. “In Colombia, the danger is so great that even Vice President Francia Márquez and the special adviser for women’s rights Clemencia Carabalí have escaped several assassination attempts,” he says. Leila Minano.

“There is a South American proverb that says: ‘they wanted to bury us but they didn’t know we were seeds’. This proverb has been picked up in feminist movements. Semillas is also the name that the heirs of Marielle Franco, assassinated in 2018, have given themselves. in Brazil. Our job is also to bring to light all those who continue to lead the fight of those who are no longer there”, adds Sophie Boutboul, who stresses that femicide also includes intimidation in order to end the political role of the victim.

According to the document published in Paris, among the most affected countries are Iran, Iraq, Kenya and Colombia, and there are gray areas such as Russia and China, where it is impossible to investigate femicides.