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A Body Speaks: State, Media, and Public Responses to Femicide in Guatemala

Author

Listed:
  • Erin Beck

    (Department of Political Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA)

  • Amir Mohamed

    (Department of Anthropology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA)

Abstract

In 2008, Guatemala passed the Law against Femicide and Other Forms of Violence against Women, establishing the gender-based killing of women (femicide) as a unique crime. Since then, over 9000 Guatemalan women and girls have died violent deaths. How do Guatemalan institutions and publics react to these women’s murders, and what do these reactions reveal about the impacts of legislative reform for individual victims, Guatemalan society, and criminal justice institutions? To answer these questions, we analyze state, media, and public reactions to three high-profile femicides that took place after the 2008 VAW Law. We trace the criminal justice response and legal developments following each femicide, and couple this with an analysis of newspaper coverage and social media commentary about the case. We find that despite the passage of new legislation and the creation of new institutions, various weaknesses in the Guatemalan criminal justice system undermine the impacts of reforms. These weaknesses in the criminal justice system produce three types of injuries: (1) individual injuries by hurting victims and their families; (2) public injuries by diverting public attention away from reflections about social norms and VAWG; and (3) institutional injuries by reinforcing the public’s distrust of the criminal justice system.

Suggested Citation

  • Erin Beck & Amir Mohamed, 2021. "A Body Speaks: State, Media, and Public Responses to Femicide in Guatemala," Laws, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-28, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlawss:v:10:y:2021:i:3:p:73-:d:632872
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Unknown, 2014. "Media Coverage 2014," 2014: Ethics, Efficiency and Food Security: Feeding the 9 Billion, Well, 26-28 August 2014 225573, Crawford Fund.
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    Cited by:

    1. Luissa Vahedi & Ilana Seff & Deidi Olaya Rodriguez & Samantha McNelly & Ana Isabel Interiano Perez & Dorcas Erskine & Catherine Poulton & Lindsay Stark, 2022. "“ At the Root of COVID Grew a More Complicated Situation ”: A Qualitative Analysis of the Guatemalan Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Response System during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(17), pages 1-15, September.

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