No more killing of women!
Time to put words into action
Feminicide, the most extreme form of violence against women, is generally linked to discrimination, poverty and patriarchal cultures. It takes place within a context of total impunity and affects many Latin American states.
In November 2009, the Inter-American Court on Human Rights condemned the Mexican state for violating human rights in cases of feminicide in Ciudad Juárez. Thanks to this judgment, progress was made with regard to the legal interpretation of feminicide.
The European Parliament adopted a resolution on feminicide in Mexico and Central America and the role of the European Union in fighting the phenomenon in October 2007. In December 2008, the EU adopted guidelines on violence against women and thus states its clear political will to treat the subject of gender-based violence as a priority in its internal and external actions. The Madrid Declaration of the EU-LAC summit in May 2010 recognizes the need to take every necessary measure to prevent and eradicate all kind of gender-based violence. One month later, High Representative Catherine Ashton issued a declaration on behalf of the EU expressing her concern about feminicide in Latin America and praising the work carried out by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in this issue.
As the political will to fight feminicide has been clearly stated, this is the moment to take stock of its implementation: To what extent have the recommendations of the EP Resolution been implemented and what tangible effects do the guidelines have on the situation of women in Latin America? Can the crimes of feminicide be classified as individual cases of exceptional gravity and should the EU, consequently, take specific measures to deal with feminicide in Latin America? What role does the European External Action Service play in the fight against feminicide and gender-based violence?
The conference (13:30-16:30) and subsequent strategy meeting (16:30-18:30) are organized in cooperation with the Central America Women's Network (CAWN), the Copenhagen Initiative for Central America and Mexico (CIFCA), the Latin American Association of Development Organizations (ALOP) and Grupo Sur.
Translation: EN-ES from 1.30 to 3 p.m. EN-FR-DE-ES-EL-NI-ET-SU-FI-DA after 3 p.m
