Femicide: When women are murdered

FEMICIDE: WHEN WOMEN ARE MURDERED

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FEMICIDE: WHEN WOMEN ARE MURDERED

Contents Femicide: when women are murdered.......................................................................................................................................4

The efforts of Latin American women’s movements............................................................................................................4

Different types of femicide...........................................................................................................................................................5

Intimate femicide/partner homicide......................................................................................................................................5

Femicide related to cultural practices.....................................................................................................................................5

Honour killings...................................................................................................................................................................5

Femicide related to dowry.................................................................................................................................................6

Femicide related to a preference for sons........................................................................................................................6

Non-intimate femicide.............................................................................................................................................................6

Femicide in armed conflict................................................................................................................................................6

Racist femicide, and femicide related to ethnic affiliation.............................................................................................6

Femicide related to sexual orientation or gender identity.............................................................................................6

Femicide related to human trafficking.............................................................................................................................6

Femicide related to sex work.............................................................................................................................................7

Femicide related to genital mutilation.............................................................................................................................7

Femicide on the agenda................................................................................................................................................................7 What are the Norwegian authorities doing?.............................................................................................................................8 International commitments...............................................................................................................................................8

This analysis has received funding from Norad and been compiled by Julie Falck Husum and Aleksandar Rakanovic Storøy

Examples of regional frameworks.....................................................................................................................................8

National action plans..........................................................................................................................................................9

Many promises, but little action..................................................................................................................................... 10

FEMICIDE: WHEN WOMEN ARE MURDERED

Femicide: when women are murdered Did you know that 1 of 3 women experience physical and/ or sexual abuse during their lifetime? That adds up to 736 million women.1 Violence against women includes physical abuse, mental abuse, sexualised abuse and rape. At the far end of the spectrum, we find femicide. Femicide is the most extreme form of violence against women, defined as the murder of women because they are women.2 Violence against women is a structural problem and an expression of skewed balances of power between women and men. Discriminatory legislation and a lack of equality, added to inauspicious social and cultural norms, attitudes and practices, create and maintain unfair power structures. To end femicide in particular and violence against women in general, we must get to the root of the problem. That calls for even greater efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goal #5: achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. The efforts of Latin American women’s movements Everyone has the right to live a life free of violence and discrimination. The fact that women are being murdered because of their gender is a gross violation of human rights. Nevertheless, femicide is a relatively unfamiliar term to most people. As of today, a search for ‘femisid’, the Norwegian word for femicide, gets no hits whatsoever on Google, is not discussed in Norwegian newspapers or other media, and is not being used by politicians. The term femicide was first widely introduced by the feminist author and activist Diana Russel who spoke before the International Tribunal of Crimes Against Women in 1976.3 Russel was of the opinion that it was essential to have a term that distinguished the murder of women because they are women from the gender-neutral homicide. To combat a problem, one must first put a name on it. In modern times, the Latin American women’s movements, in collaboration with Latin American media, have put the term on the agenda in earnest, as a reaction to the wave of femicide that has devastated Latin America in recent decades. Latin American countries often distinguish between the Spanish femicidio and feminicidio.4 Femicidio is the equivalent of the English word femicide and

the definition is “women who are murdered because they are women”. Feminicidio also captures the way in which states or governments are often unresponsive to the killing of women. It is becoming increasingly common for countries all over the world to distinguish gender-based violence from other types of violence. However, there are few countries outside of Latin America, and none in Europe, that include the notion of femicide in their legislation or in their jurisprudence at all. In this context, the Latin American region is leading the way: 18 Latin American countries have laws that define femicide.5 Guatemala is one of them; in 2008, the country adopted a law that officially recognises femicide as a punishable criminal act.6 This Act was an important victory for Guatemalan women’s rights activists and a step in the right direction to fight impunity in cases that involve femicide. Nevertheless, the incidence of femicide in Guatemala is among the highest in the world. From January to April this year, 160 cases of femicide were reported, along with more than 20 000 complaints of abuse.7 In Mexico, an average of 10 women are killed each day.8 In 2020, 939 femicides were reported9, and it is assumed that the number of unreported cases is formidable. One case that has received broad media coverage and national attention in Mexico is the femicide of the UPAEP student Mara Fernanda. In 2018, 19-year-old Mara was murdered by a driver from Cabify, a ride-hailing service. She was supposed to be driven home, safe and sound, after an evening on the town.10 The episode shook the country, but Mara’s case was not unique, it just happened to catch the attention of the media. This past February, 18-year-old Ursula Bhillo was found brutally stabbed to death in her hometown of Rojas, Argentina.11 The perpetrator was her boyfriend, police officer Matias Ezequiel Martinez. Before she was murdered, she had tried to get a restraining order against him. Following a lengthy period characterised by particularly high statistics on violence against women, this femicide triggered a wave of activism in Argentina. Thousands of women took to the streets under the slogan #NiUnaMenos (Not one [woman] less). #NiUnaMenos has spread all across Latin America, exemplifying how activism has put femicide on the agenda.

1) https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/facts-and-figures#notes 2) https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/77421/WHO_RHR_12.38_eng.pdf 3) https://www.femicideincanada.ca/about/history 4) https://oxfordre.com/politics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.001.0001/acrefore-9780190228637-e-1715 5) https://oxfordre.com/politics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.001.0001/acrefore-9780190228637-e-1715 6) https://www.ghrc-usa.org/Publications/Femicide_Law_ProgressAgainstImpunity.pdf 7) https://www.dw.com/en/in-guatemala-women-fear-for-their-lives/a-57397987 8) https://www.amnestyusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Report-English.pdf 9) https://www.statista.com/statistics/827142/number-femicide-victims-mexico/ 10) https://www.elsoldepuebla.com.mx/policiaca/tres-anos-sin-justicia-para-mara-fernanda-la-estudiante-de-upaep-asesinada-camino a-casa-puebla-homicidio-feminicidio-asesinato-ricardo-alexis-torres-mayorazgo-the-bronx-san-andres-cholula-5730781.html 11) https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/2/24/rage-boils-over-amid-argentinas-unrelenting-femicide-crisis

Different types of femicide Femicide is a global social problem that recognises no national borders, although some groups are more vulnerable than others. Women in developing countries, indigenous women, trans women, women refugees, and women with disabilities are among the most vulnerable. In some places, being a female human rights activist is the most dangerous job around. Femicide occurs in a variety of socio-cultural contexts, so it can take different forms in different parts of the world. Intimate femicide/partner homicide The most common form of femicide is partner homicide. On a world-wide basis, in 35 per cent12 of all the murders of women, the perpetrator is a current or former partner, and the women have often lived in abusive relationships for quite some time. A Norwegian study made by Oslo University Hospital in 2015 indicates that in 7 of 1013 cases of partner homicide, the victim had been exposed to violence before being murdered. 1 in 5 cases had a history of more than five incidents of violence. Statistics indicate that repeated violence is often a precursor to femicide. A history of violence in a relationship can be a warning sign of a potential tragedy before it actually takes place. During the COVID-19 pandemic, violence against women has increased significantly as a result of financial uncertainty, restrictions, and lockdowns. Women who are exposed to physical and/or sexual partner abuse must isolate themselves from their assailant, and many have little or no chance of getting help. Argentina experienced the largest wave of femicides in 10 years over the past year, with 120 cases reported from January to April.14 In the Columbian capitol of Bogota, the number of calls the police got about violence against women increased by 225 per cent during the period from March to May 2020.15 The gradual reopening of society has, in turn, unleashed a new wave of violence. Abusers feel they are losing the control they had over their partner when things were closed down, so they are reacting by stepping up the level of lethal violence. In Sweden, five women were murdered in three weeks this year, and in Spain, an average of one woman has been murdered every three days since May.16

Intimate partner homicide occurs in Norway as well. The 2020 figures from Norway’s National Bureau of Crime Investigation show that 89 per cent of the perpetrators were men.17 Women account for 48 per cent of the victims, and of that number, 36 per cent either were or had previously been spouses or sweethearts with the perpetrator. Most recently, a 23-year-old female student in Bergen was stabbed to death by her 29-year-old boyfriend in September 2021. Many countries do not report on the relationships between the perpetrator and the victim, or on the motives for murders. This is a problem. It is not uncommon for the gender structures underlying murders of women to be misinterpreted or not visible at all. In order to fight femicide, it is absolutely crucial that we are able to recognise it. In a report from 2015, the UN’s special rapporteur on violence against women made it clear that research on femicide must be given priority and that more data must be collected.18 Femicide related to cultural practices Honour killings Not all women are safe with their own families. Femicide is categorised as “honour killings” when a woman or girl is murdered by one or more family members for a real or imagined sexual act or other behaviour that contravenes social norms.19 In many cases, the perpetrator sees murder as a way to protect the family’s honour, in accordance with tradition, cultural practices or religious exigencies. According to the WHO, an estimated 5000 cases of honour killings are committed annually.20 Honour killings takes place mainly in parts of the Middle East and Southern Asia but may also take place in migrant communities the world over. Studies from Sweden and the UK indicate that honour murders are often categorised as ‘cultural traditions’ rather than as extreme forms of violence against women. When the gender perspective is not included in investigations and the prosecution of femicides, it is difficult to prevent or stop femicide.

12) https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/77421/WHO_RHR_12.38_eng.pdf 13) https://sifer.no/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Partnerdrap_2020_22.12.20_godkjent.pdf 14) https://www.statista.com/statistics/1102269/argentina-number-femicides-month/ 15) https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2020/4/20/violence-against-women-up-amid-latin-america-covid-19-lockdowns 16) https://forskning.no/kriminalitet-ntb-vold/gjenapning-har-fort-til-mer-vold-mot-kvinner/1891186 17) https://www.politiet.no/globalassets/04-aktuelt-tall-og-fakta/drap/drapsoversikt-2020-.pdf 18) https://undocs.org/A/71/398 19) https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/77421/WHO_RHR_12.38_eng.pdf 20) https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/77421/WHO_RHR_12.38_eng.pdf

FEMICIDE: WHEN WOMEN ARE MURDERED

Femicide related to dowry In some places, newly married women are murdered owing to conflicts or disputes related to their dowries, e.g., insufficient dowries in the opinion of their in-laws. This type of femicide is most common on the Indian sub-continent, that is, in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. It is estimated that as many as 25 000 women are killed or maimed each year as a result of dowry-related conflicts.21 Femicide related to a preference for sons In some parts of the world, a preference for sons leads to femicide of female foetuses or very young girls. A preference for sons is most common in southern and eastern Asia, especially in China and India, and it is often reflected by a disproportionate ratio of men to women among the general public. The reasons are usually financial, but they are based on structural differences and cultural norms and practices. Some societies consider sons to be more lucrative because men earn more than women and can take care of their ageing parents. Girls more often take responsibility for unpaid work in the home, earn less, and move away from their families when they marry. In connection with marriages, families are not always able to afford the dowries required by the in-laws. Non-intimate femicide Non-intimate femicide refers to women who are murdered by others, that is, by people who are not intimate partners, such as family members, acquaintances, or strangers. Non-intimate femicide may be random, but it can also be systematic. Femicide in armed conflict Violence against women, especially sexual abuse, is used strategically as a weapon in armed conflicts to subdue women in particular, or to subdue the community to which they belong. During the genocide in Rwanda, between 250 000 and 500 000 women were raped over a period of three months.22 During the civil war in Syria, thousands of Yazidi women were kidnapped, raped and murdered by the Islamic State.23 Several types of violence often overlap, for example, in situations in which women are first exposed to violence

and abuse, then subsequently murdered. Death as a result of sexual abuse is also femicide, regardless of whether it is an intentional or unintentional murder. Racist femicide, and femicide related to ethnic affiliation Femicide is sometimes used as an expression of hatred or rejection of a woman’s ethnicity, skin colour, or nationality. Systematic kidnappings and murders of indigenous women in Canada are among the many examples of femicide related to ethnicity.24 That is also true of the murders of more than 400 women in the city of Ciudad Juárez, on the border between Mexico and the US.25 Individuals are targeted at random, but ultimately killed because of their gender and ethnic affiliation. In Brazil, underlying racist and sexist attitudes make Afro-Brazilian women especially vulnerable to femicide.26 Femicide related to sexual orientation or gender identity 50 per cent of all transgender people experience sexual abuse during their lifetime.27 In some cases, femicide is an expression of rejection or hatred against women’s sexual orientation or gender identity. It is not uncommon for sexual abuse to accompany this type of femicide. In the event the perpetrator is of the opinion that the victim has violated the traditional sexual standards or gender norms, sexual violence may be used as a weapon to restore a feeling of power and control.28 Femicide related to human trafficking Girls and women constitute 71 per cent29 of all the victims of human trafficking world-wide, and 93 per cent30 of all victims of human trafficking in Europe. Femicide related to human trafficking involves women who are murdered during the process of recruitment, transport, or falling into the hands of people who use power, coercion and threats to control them. Female victims of human trafficking are disproportionately affected by sexual exploitation and prostitution. In addition, women have a greater risk of being killed as a result of abuse or other incidents related to the already horrific situation they are experiencing.

21) https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/77421/WHO_RHR_12.38_eng.pdf 22) https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/3F71081FF391653DC1256C69003170E9-unicef-WomenWarPeace.pdf 23) https://globaljusticecenter.net/files/CounterTerrorismTalkingPoints.4.7.2016.pdf 24) https://www.femicideincanada.ca/about/types 25) http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/88766/1/latamcaribbean-2018-02-15-femicide-in-ciudad-juarez-is-enabled-by-the.pdf 26) https://munin.uit.no/bitstream/handle/10037/17005/thesis.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y 27) https://transequality.org/sites/default/files/docs/usts/USTS%20Full%20Report%20-%20FINAL%201.6.17.pdf 28) https://repository.asu.edu/attachments/56451/content/Schepel_asu_0010N_10422.pdf 28) https://repository.asu.edu/attachments/56451/content/Schepel_asu_0010N_10422.pdf 29) http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/77394/WHO_RHR_12.42_eng.pdf?sequence=1 30) http://www.atina.org.rs/en/trafficking-and-femicide-ultimate-forms-violence-against-women

Femicide related to sex work Violence borne of stigma, misogyny and sexism affects a substantial proportion of the women involved in sex work and prostitution and may often have fatal consequences.31 Studies show that sex workers have a 45 to 75 per cent chance of experiencing violence during their lifetime.32 Meanwhile, female sex workers often belong to several vulnerable groups. Sex workers who are also migrants and/or trans-gender people are particularly vulnerable to violence and femicide, often as a consequence of deviating from what the perpetrator perceives as traditional gender norms. Structural discrimination and the lack of social protection often make it more difficult for victims to seek help. Femicide related to genital mutilation More than 3 million girls risk being subjected to genital mutilation each year.33 Genital mutilation involves the partial or full removal of and/or damage to the external parts of the female genitalia for non-medical reasons. The practice is most prevalent in the western, eastern, and north-eastern parts of Africa, in some countries in the Middle East, and among migrants from these areas. Genital mutilation offers no health-related advantages, and may, quite to the contrary, lead to infections, problems with urination, complications in connection with giving birth, and the ultimate consequence – death.34 Genital mutilation mainly affects young girls and women, so genital mutilation resulting in death is considered femicide.

Femicide on the agenda Violence against women is a global pandemic. Why are we so quick to find a vaccine for COVID-19, but not for violence against women? As a land of equality, Norway strives to be a role model in its efforts to promote women’s rights. While this is commendable, the reality is that we are not good enough. In 2020, the funding for women’s rights organisations totalled 342 million Norwegian krone. This is a decline of 55 million from 2019, thereby not keeping the promise of gender equality permeating Norway’s foreign and development policy. The Norwegian authorities must intensify their efforts to fight violence against women in general, and femicide in particular. Integrating the term ‘femicide’ into the Norwegian language and into Norwegian politics is a good place to start.

31) https://www.who.int/hiv/pub/sti/sex_worker_implementation/swit_chpt2.pdf 32) https://swp.urbanjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2020/08/Fact-Sheet-Sexual-Violence-Against-Sex-Workers-1-1-1.pdf 33) https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/female-genital-mutilation 34) https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/female-genital-mutilation 35) https://www.bistandsaktuelt.no/arkiv-kommentarer/2021/fokus-tall-som-teller--applaus-og-overraskelse/

FEMICIDE: WHEN WOMEN ARE MURDERED

What are the Norwegian authorities doing? Norway has long considered itself a land of equality. Norwegian politics are clearly characterised by the desire to safeguard and protect everyone, regardless of gender, class or ethnicity. It is also an explicit goal that gender equality be protected throughout every level of foreign and development policy. Accordingly, it is time to examine what the Norwegian authorities do and, not least, what they have pledged to do, in order to fight and prevent the most extreme form of gender-based violence. International commitments Norwegian development cooperation policy takes its point of departure in the global sustainability goals that all UN member states agreed on in 2015. The sustainability goals serve as a global framework for how to achieve sustainable development, peace and a more equitable world by 2030. Through 17 goals and 169 targets, the aim is to protect the needs and strengthen the rights of people who are alive today, without causing problems for future generations.36 Gender equality is given visibility and concretised through indicators in all the goals. In sustainable development goal number five spesifically, Norway pledges to achieve gender equality. In 2000, when the UN adopted the UN Millennium Development Goals, violence against girls and women had not yet been rendered visible and thereby fell outside the formal ranking of priorities by the UN Member States. The correlation between social, cultural, economic, political and civil rights is unambigious, overwhelming and universal, and becomes evident through the different types of femicide. The deeply rooted differences between women and men are maintained by a culture of tolerance and denial. Accordingly, it is important to acknowledge that the struggle to fight gender-based violence and gender-motivated murders of girls and women is part of the larger struggle for gender equality and equal rights between women and men. By acceding to the UN conventions on fundamental human rights and legal protections against discrimination, as well as by participating in the UN, the Council of Europe and other international bodies, Norway has undertaken an obligation to fight discrimination based on gender.38 The Istanbul Convention, ratified by Norway in 2017, is a prime example of this.

The goal of the Convention is to prevent and eliminate all forms of violence against women and violence in close relationships.40 It is intended to be preventative, protect the victims of violence and ensure the prosecution of abusers. What is more, the convention acknowledges that violence against women is a violation of basic human rights and a form of discrimination.41 Thus, states must be held accountable if they fail to show a sufficient response to such violence. Also, the Convention includes gender as a social construct. This suggests that it is acknowledged that women and men are not only biologically female and male, but that there are also socially constructed gender categories that help create and maintain stereotypical gender role behaviour, something which may, in turn, help make violence against women acceptable. In an effort to follow up the Beijing Declaration from 1995, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on genderrelated murders in 2013.42 At one time, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) urged UN Member States to categorise femicide as a specific crime that should be included in legislation so that cases are thoroughly investigated, the perpetrators are brought to justice, and the victims or their relatives can be offered appropriate remedies, reparation and compensation.43 Examples of regional frameworks Since the Beijing Declaration in 1995, violence against women has been a topic that has increasingly attracted attention and been on the international agenda, not least in relation to regional frameworks. This is also evident in regions other than Europe. The Maputo Protocol from 2003 is an example of a human rights instrument established by the African Union to protect and strengthen the rights of girls and women.44 Despite the fact that it does not mention femicide specifically, the Protocol bans all forms of violence against women in the public and private spheres alike.45 Among the 42 African countries that have ratified the Protocol, South Africa is considered a role model for preventative work against femicide. In addition to acknowledging femicide as a widespread problem in the country, the authorities set up a special ‘femicide watch’ in 2018 at the urging of the UN, as the first country to do so on the continent of

36) https://snl.no/FNs_b%C3%A6rekraftsm%C3%A5l 37) https://www.ldo.no/ombudet-og-samfunnet/ombudets-arbeid/vold-i-nare-relasjoner/ 38) https://www.regjeringen.no/no/tema/utenrikssaker/fn/innsikt/likestilling/id439433/ 39) https://www.stortinget.no/no/Saker-og-publikasjoner/Saker/Sak/Voteringsoversikt/?p=67777&dnid=1 40) https://www.regjeringen.no/no/dokumenter/prop.-66-s-20162017/id2543782/ 41) https://rm.coe.int/168047a36f 42) https://www.unodc.org/documents/commissions/CCPCJ/Crime_Resolutions/2010-2019/2013/General_Assembly/A-RES-68-191.pdf 43) https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2013/5/un-women-calls-for-urgent-and-effective-action-against-femicide 44) https://www.equalitynow.org/ratify_the_maputo_protocol 45) https://www.kit.nl/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/FINAL_RBH_Factsheets_GVAW_DIGITAL.pdf

Africa.46 The initiative involves gathering comparable data on femicide at the national, regional and global levels. The data are analysed from a human rights perspective by interdisciplinary national bodies to make it easier to prevent femicide in the future and to take a preventative approach to the problem.47 By comparison, Norway has not set up a special body to monitor gender-based violence and femicide.48 In response to increasing rates of femicide in Latin America, in 1994, all the states in the Inter-American Human Rights System ratified the Convention Belém do Para, a binding regional agreement to prevent, punish and eradicate violence against women.49 In that context, the main focus was on amending national legal frameworks, so that violence in the family or home could be considered punishable criminal offences by a court of law. However, experience gained throughout the 1990s indicated that factors such as gender-neutral language in legislation did not necessarily enable the identification of murders of women as a specific and distinct form of violence against women.50 Accordingly, in the 2000s, different Latin American countries stepped up their efforts in this field. To shed light on and recognise that women are being murdered simply for being women, an external declaration on femicide was established to follow up the Convention itself.51 This has led several countries in the region to define femicide as a criminal act in their national legislation, at the same time as they are required to facilitate specific measures to fight the underlying causes of femicide. As a result, murders of women that fit the definition for femicide are recognised as a felony and subject to more severe punishment. In many ways, this may serve as a deterrent, but it also underscores the formidable consequences femicide has on society-atlarge and on women themselves. National action plans The action plan entitled ‘Freedom, Power and Opportunities (2016-2021)’, which was extended to the end of 2021, establishes the parameters for Norway’s international efforts to promote gender equality. Along with the action plan entitled ‘Women, Peace and Security’ and the ‘Strategy against Harmful Practices’, as well as relevant White Papers, these are the main pillars of Norwegian foreign and development policy for promoting gender equality between women and men. In 2021, the Government also introduced the action plan entitled ‘Freedom from Violence (2021-2024)’.

This action plan has a separate chapter that highlights the importance of international cooperation on these issues. Freedom, Power and Opportunities (2016-2021) follows up earlier White Papers, identifying five main target areas to ensure girls and women better access to education, full participation in political life, full financial rights, and the elimination of violence and harmful practices, while a dvocating for sexual and reproductive health and rights. The universal sustainability goals, drawn up to broaden girls’ and women’s freedom of action, self-determination and power, form the backdrop for the action plan.52 The thematic target areas render visible the broad range of challenges that women face. Even though every chapter acknowledges that a lack of effort may have fatal consequences for girls and women, it is only the chapter on the elimination of violence and harmful practices that touches on the concept of femicide, including partner homicide. The Strategy against Harmful Practices (2019-2023) shows how the Norwegian authorities aspire to be a driving force in the work to eliminate harmful practices by 2030.53 The strategy sheds light on correlations and similarities between genital mutilation, child marriage and a preference for sons. The strategy defines child marriage as sexual abuse. The strategy also acknowledges that girls in child marriages have a higher-than-average probability of being subjected to violence in close relationships. A preference for sons is linked to the low value ascribed to girls and women in certain countries. The strategy recognises that the most extreme consequence of a preference for sons entails the murder of girls, forging a direct link to ‘gendercide’, defined as the intentional extermination of individuals of a particular gender. ‘Femicide’ is also mentioned in this context, in relation to partner homicide. The strategy also shows links between violence and abuse before women are murdered. The Action Plan for Women, Peace and Security 2019-2022 also addresses harmful practices. Sexualised and genderbased violence is often exacerbated even before armed conflicts arise and persist even after other violence has ceased. This type of abuse generally affects girls and women, and is often overlooked, explained away, or seen as an inevitable consequence of war and conflicts. Accordingly, the action plan is about ensuring the entire population’s

46) https://www.justice.gov.za/vg/femicide/index.html 47) https://www.ohchr.org/en/issues/women/srwomen/pages/femicidewatch.aspx 48) https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Women/SR/Femicide/2020/States/submission-norway.pdf 49) https://www.wikigender.org/wiki/convention-of-belem-do-para/ 50) http://ella.practicalaction.org/wp-content/uploads/files/143001_GOV_GenVio_GUIDE.pdf 51) https://www.oas.org/es/mesecvi/docs/declaracionfemicidio-en.pdf 52) https://www.regjeringen.no/globalassets/departementene/ud/vedlegg/fn/kvinner_handlingsplan.pdf 53) https://www.regjeringen.no/contentassets/fc55501761024732bc7b13d82346e313/skadelige_skikker.pdf

FEMICIDE: WHEN WOMEN ARE MURDERED

security needs, not least by intensifying efforts to combat sexualised and gender-based violence and harmful practices in countries involved in armed conflicts.54 In addition, the strategy recognises the importance of gender representation and gender balance in peace negotiations, promoting consideration of the entire population’s priorities and needs as the most effective way of creating lasting peace. In keeping with the action plan, the Norwegian authorities announced the escalation of the fight to end sexualised and gender-based violence in humanitarian crises. In 2019, Norway hosted the International Conference on Ending Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Humanitarian Crises. In the presence of more than 90 participating countries, Norway’s then Minister of Foreign Affairs Ine Eriksen Søreide pointed out that sexual and gender-based violence in humanitarian crises had received too little political attention and been critically underfunded. In addition to ‘mobilising an all-out global effort to end sexual and genderbased violence’, Norway pledged to increase its support by one billion NOK, distributed over a three-year period from 2019 to 2021.55 Freedom from Violence (2021-2024) is the Norwegian government’s action plan to prevent and end violence in close relationships.56 The plan considers violence in close relationships to be a felony and one of the greatest barriers to reaching the goal of gender equality. Further, the action plan says that the most extreme consequence of violence in close relationships can lead to loss of life, citing that roughly every fourth murder in Norway is a partner homicide. The plan also points out that most of the murder victims are women. What is more, the plan recognises that factors such as age, ethnicity, disability, gender expression, gender identity and sexual orientation impact risk. It also mentions that these are conditional factors in the continuum of different acts of violence to which victims can be exposed. To reach national and international goals to eliminate violence, Norway will strengthen its international cooperation related to violence against women and violence in close relationships. In relation to these efforts, the Istanbul Convention is put forward as a useful tool. Many promises, but little action Norway has been elected to the UN Security Council for 2021-2022, and it will serve alongside the most powerful UN Member States.57 This represents a unique opportunity

to ensure women’s participation and rights, and to shed light on challenges resulting from skewed power structures. As a full Security Council member, Norwegian authorities can apply Norway’s existing expertise on women, peace and security to the full range of issues on the Council’s agenda. Advocating to ensure that women are heard and can participate is one of Norway’s top priorities during its term as a council member.58 Through international commitments and action plans, it is clear that commitments and efforts to promote women’s rights are an important part of Norway’s identity policy at the national and international levels. Despite comprehensive political efforts, the follow up and the full-blown intention to bring the action plans to fruition have fallen short in many ways. This is clearly reflected in the parameters of the funding granted to the gender equality budget for 2020 and 2021. Despite the fact that Norway increased its support to UN Women, less funding is being granted to UN Women than to other UN bodies. What is more, Norway has set a goal that 50 per cent of all bilateral aid is to be earmarked to promote women’s rights and gender equality. In 2019, the actual figure was 34 per cent. By comparison, 87 per cent of Sweden’s development cooperation funding is earmarked for women’s rights and gender equality. The comparison with Sweden may also indicate that the goal of 50 per cent is not ambitious enough, since it shows that it is possible to have a higher percentage in a comparable country than what Norway currently has.59 This is worthy of criticism at a time when the social consequences of the pandemic have engendered novel challenges. Home offices and less social contact have led to a drastic increase in violence in close relationships, and the reopening of society has revealed a host of new problems. Abusers feel they have lost the control they had during lockdown, and they are reacting to a greater extent by turning to extreme violence.60 There are myriad examples of this. This is true in Norway, as well as in the rest of the world. Accordingly, it is important to put femicide on the agenda and to see to it that it is incorporated into legislation. This will make it easier to recognise the act itself, as well as clearly signalise that in Norway, a country that champions gender equality, it is about time we finally put an end to the widespread misogyny that often costs lives.

54) https://www.regjeringen.no/globalassets/departementene/ud/dokumenter/planer/handlingsplan_kfs2019.pdf 55) https://www.regjeringen.no/no/aktuelt/pm_innsats/id2646183/ 56) https://www.regjeringen.no/contentassets/2dda3b36640d4dfbbbac11598a1dc792/209755-jd-frihetfravold-web.pdf 57) https://www.regjeringen.no/no/aktuelt/norge-valgt-inn-i-fns-sikkerhetsrad/id2714507/ 58) https://www.fn.no/norge-i-sikkerhetsraadet/inkludere-kvinner-i-fred-og-sikkerhetsarbeid 59) https://d3jkvgmi357tqm.cloudfront.net/1629379984/fokus-rapport-2021-teigen-fagerheim-2.pdf 60) https://www.vl.no/nyheter/2021/07/15/gjenapning-har-fort-til-mer-vold-mot-kvinner/

FEMICIDE: WHEN WOMEN ARE MURDERED

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