Feminicide, Gender Violence Against Women - 5270 Words

LAS Disposables Ciudad Juà ¡rez March 13, 2015†© Femicide and Structural Violence against Women in By: Craig Serpa LAS DISPOSABLES PAGE 1 ! Introduction Much research has been produced attempting to describe and subvert femicide in Ciudad Juà ¡rez, but perhaps the most accurate description of the gendered violence can be found in an American political cartoon. A maquiladora, or Mexican border assembly/ processing plant, stands alone among rolling hills littered with gravestones in the shape of the symbol of Venus. The graves extend to the horizon line in all directions, seemingly endless. From the viewer’s position in the lower right corner of the cartoon they can discern details on the nearest grave: the top arch of the†¦show more content†¦The combination of neoliberal economic reform with existing gender hierarchies exacerbated existing structural violence and led to the continued disregard for the value of women’s lives in the form of direct gender-based violence. During the period examined in this research women were targeted, mutilated, and unaccounted for in death. Our analysis illustrates our argument that structural forces like the economic shifts produced the social conditions in which women’s bodies were, and still are not, not valued. Because their lives were not valued, the women employed by maquiladoras, las disposables, fell victim to exploitation, abuse, and violence at the hands of international corporations, their managers, and others. This paper brings together the ï ¬ elds of economics, gender studies, and anthropology to demonstrate two main ideas: ï ¬ rst, that the myriad of ways structural and direct violence are entangled in every aspect of daily life, and second, that in LAS DISPOSABLES PAGE 4 ! the particular situation of Ciudad Juà ¡rez, structural violence that resulted from NAFTA’s economic restructuring manifested itself direct violence committed on the female body. NAFTA and the Maquiladoras In 1964 the Bracero Program came to an end. Laws providing seasonal work authorization for Mexican laborers in the U.S. agricultural industry were allowed to expire. Less than a year after the decision was made to shut down the Bracero Program, the Mexican Government facedShow MoreRelatedFemicide1132 Words   |  5 Pagesand victimization o female refugees. The treatment of women prisoners and detained immigrant women are also related to the issue of femicide. Essentially, femicide is a form of gender-based violence (Stuart van Wormer Bartollas, 2011). It is considered to be an extreme form of gender-based violence that may include torture, mutilation, cruelty and sexual violence. The violence often culminated to murder. This violence is linked to gender concepts like inequality, discrimination and disempowermentRead MoreThe Problem Identified:. Every Day People Are Faced With1648 Words   |  7 Pagesimages of violence, but few people notice that w omen are disproportionately affected. Women are frequently victims of gender based violence, â€Å"violence that is directed against a person on the basis of gender† (MuJER Guatemala). While gender violence is prominent in much of Latin America, in Guatemala it has become an epidemic with 1-2 women being murdered every day (MuJER Guatemala). Overall, Guatemala has the third highest rate of femicide, which is defined as the â€Å"systematic killing of women (MuJER