Suchergebnisse

AbstractMany Latin American countries have passed laws intended to address femicide and other forms of violence against women. Yet the implementation of these laws has been inconsistent at best. This article analyzes the case of Nicaragua, which passed a comprehensive law on gender-based violence (Law 779) in 2012. While celebrated by local women's organizations, Law 779 was subsequently weakened through a series of legislative reforms and executive decrees. This article seeks to explain why state actors in Nicaragua initially supported Law 779 and later sought to undermine it. It argues that in contexts characterized by a high concentration of political power like Nicaragua, transnational governance structures are insufficient to ensure the success of gender violence legislation. Through an analysis of Law 779, this article contributes to broader debates about the nature of state legitimacy and the potential of legal advocacy to address violence against women.

A review essay covering books by 1) Marcelo Bergman and Laurence Whitehead (Eds.), Criminality, Public Security, and the Challenge to Democracy in Latin America (2009), 2) Hector Dominguez-Ruvalcaba and Ignacio Corona (Eds.), Gender Violence at the U.S.-Mexico Border: Media Representation and Public Response (2010), 3) Rosa-Linda Fregoso and Cynthia Bejarano (Eds.), Terrorizing Women: Feminicide in the Americas (2010), 4) Maria Helena Moreira Alves and Philip Evanson, Living in the Crossfire: Favela Residents, Drug Dealers, and Police Violence in Rio de Janeiro (2011), 5) Gabriela Polit Duenas and Maria Helena Rueda (Eds.), Meanings of Violence in Contemporary Latin America (2011), and 6) Irina Carlota Silber, Everyday Revolutionaries: Gender, Violence, and Disillusionment in Postwar El Salvador (2010).