¡Ni una más! (Not one more): Femicide in Guatemala: What’s the problem represented to be

Pedersen, Julie Holt

4. term

Development and International Relations, Master

2015

2015-12-21

60

Guatemala har en af verdens højeste anslåede rater af femicide—drab på kvinder, fordi de er kvinder. Alligevel findes der kun lidt kvalitativ forskning i, hvordan denne vold bliver fremstillet. Dette speciale undersøger nutidige fremstillinger af femicide på tre niveauer i det guatemalanske samfund: statens forståelse i forbindelse med vedtagelsen af Law Against Femicide and Other Forms of Violence Against Women (LAF) i 2008, dækningen i mainstreammedier, og civilsamfundsaktørers perspektiver. Undersøgelsen analyserer LAF fra 2008, seks artikler fra tre mainstreamaviser og tolv interviews, primært med kvindeorganisationer, der arbejder med femicide. Metodisk anvendes Carol Bacchis “What’s the Problem Represented to Be?” (WPR)-tilgang til at afdække antagelserne bag disse fremstillinger og overveje, hvordan skadelige, dominerende fortællinger kan udfordres. Resultaterne viser, at kvinders rettighedsorganisationer ser LAF som et vigtigt fremskridt, men utilstrækkeligt til at nedbringe de høje drabstal. Mainstreammedierne reviktimiserer ofte kvinder og har en sensationalistisk tone—fremstillinger, der kan forstærke skadelige forestillinger. Som modspil udfordrer kvindeorganisationer disse narrativer ved at støtte overlevende, gennemføre oplysningsindsatser og på andre måder arbejde for at reducere femicide. Disse indsatser er afgørende for at udfordre skadelige kønsstereotyper—som machismo (maskulin dominans) og marianismo (kvindelig selvopofrelse)—og for at tilbyde alternativer til traditionelle kønsroller i det moderne guatemalanske samfund.

Guatemala has one of the highest estimated rates of femicide—women killed because they are women. Yet little qualitative research has examined how this violence is portrayed. This thesis looks at contemporary representations of femicide at three levels of Guatemalan society: the government’s framing when the Law Against Femicide and Other Forms of Violence Against Women (LAF) was passed in 2008, mainstream news coverage, and the views of civil society actors. The study analyzes the 2008 LAF, six articles from three mainstream newspapers, and twelve interviews, mainly with women’s organizations that work on femicide. It uses Carol Bacchi’s “What’s the Problem Represented to Be?” (WPR) approach to uncover the assumptions behind these portrayals and to consider ways to challenge harmful dominant narratives. The findings show that women’s rights organizations view the LAF as an important step forward, but not sufficient to reduce the high number of femicides. Mainstream media often revictimizes women and takes a sensational tone—portrayals that can reinforce harmful ideas. In response, women’s rights organizations contest these narratives by supporting survivors, running awareness programs, and working in other ways to reduce femicide. These efforts are crucial for challenging damaging gender stereotypes—such as machismo and marianismo—and for offering alternatives to traditional roles for men and women in contemporary Guatemalan society.

[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]

femicide ; gender ; feminism ; guatemala ; indigenous women ; women´s rights ; Bacchi ; WPR

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