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View Full Version : Venezuela: Law on femicide created


RedWorker
26th November 2014, 07:15
People who engage in femicide will be punished with prison for 15 to 30 years.

http://telesurtv.net/news/El-feminicidio-tipificado-como-delito-en-Venezuela-20141125-0084.html
The Disillusionist
26th November 2014, 07:32
So, I had to Google femicide to see if I was missing something, and the obvious definition I'm getting is that it means exactly what it sounds like. It is "the crime of murdering females because of their gender."

Does this mean that until just recently, this was LEGAL in Venezuela? :ohmy:
slum
26th November 2014, 07:36
Does this mean that until just recently, this was LEGAL in Venezuela? :ohmy:

no
this is (i assume, i can't read the OP) designed to deal with a particular issue in latin america where thousands of women are killed/vanish etc every year
RedWorker
26th November 2014, 07:37
No. It means that there was no specific law to handle it, and was rather matched by a generic one. Now, implications of gender and other factors are being considered.
TC
28th November 2014, 04:24
So, I had to Google femicide to see if I was missing something, and the obvious definition I'm getting is that it means exactly what it sounds like. It is "the crime of murdering females because of their gender."

Does this mean that until just recently, this was LEGAL in Venezuela? :ohmy:

My understanding is that it is like a hate crime enhancement - that if a murder is committed for reasons related to the female gender of the victim (such as gendered serial killing) that is considered an aggravated sort of murder (in the same way that murder *with premeditation* is regarded as more serious than murder *without* premeditation).
slum
28th November 2014, 22:13
s
My understanding is that it is like a hate crime enhancement - that if a murder is committed for reasons related to the female gender of the victim (such as gendered serial killing) that is considered an aggravated sort of murder (in the same way that murder *with premeditation* is regarded as more serious than murder *without* premeditation).


having a separate category for femicide may also make it easier for the govt or other institutions in venezuela to track the frequency with which these murders are brought to court (i'd say committed, but obviously the disparity between how many actually happen and how many are even reported, much less followed up on by law enforcement, is huge), since the rape/murder/vanishing of women is a specific problem in the area beyond just 'regular murder'