Femicides: An Act Against Women
- Girl Up Elkins High School
- Aug 7, 2020
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 21, 2020
By Sarah Luke
Imagine leaving your home to be met by someone you once trusted, supposedly your significant other. You engage in an argument with them and suddenly, you are strangled to death for saying "NO". This is not some made up story or a fictional tale. This is the true story of Pınar Gültekin, and she is not the only victim. It is not a domestic abuse case. It is Femicide.
Femicide, by definition, is "the intentional killing of females (women or girls) because they are female". This gender-based act of violence is prevalent in many countries and it is brought about by a widespread ideology: that a woman is inferior to a man. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, about 10 women are killed everyday in Mexico, which has since doubled over 5 years. According to the South African Police Service, more than 2,700 women were killed in the past year. This issue is not some one-and-done deal, it is an ongoing problem that affects the lives of millions of women around the world.
However, awareness of the hate crime recently gained traction via social media. The Instagram trend, #ChallengeAccepted, was a way for women to stand in solidarity with others who were victims or survivors of femicide. Although many people engaged in it by posting a black and white photo, only a few understood its true purpose. Femicide is not something to be taken lightly. It is a serious problem that affects many women on a daily basis, and it is even the norm in certain societies, for example "honor killings". It is important to educate ourselves and address this to communities who have little to no resources to safeguard women.
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