The exacerbation of violence against women as a form of discrimination in the period of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The crisis provoked by COVID-19 has rapidly and profoundly affected Latin America. The impacts are seen not only in infection and mortality rates, but also in the economic decline and increased inequality that plague the region, problems which have been exacerbated as a result of the pandemic. Women, in particular, constitute one of the groups most heavily impacted by the pandemic, facing higher rates of unemployment and furloughing due to structural discrimination and a subsequent increase in economic dependency as they are forced to return to traditional unremunerated occupations like caregiving and homemaking. However, it is the increase of direct violences that has received the most media attention and remains the most visible manifestation of the impact of the pandemic on women. Nonetheless, in countries like Mexico and Colombia, said violences are compounded in contexts of criminal violence which make the public sphere more dangerous than the private. Thus, this article focuses the analysis on the structural factors that consign women to a reality in which they permanently face discrimination. This article analyzes the behavior of violence against women in the period of pandemic in the cases of Colombia and Mexico from the perspective of horizontal inequality. It emphasizes that violence against women is a form of discrimination that inhibits the full exercise and enjoyment of one's rights (Interamerican Court of Human Rights [ICHR], 2009). Finally, the responsibility of the State is evaluated in relation to granting women access to emergency assistance and the administration of justice. It is argued that violence against women is a continuum, the most extreme form of which is feminicide, permitted by the failure of the State to guarantee equal protection for women.

Correlation between mobility in mass transport and mortality due to COVID-19: A comparison of Mexico City, New York, and Madrid from a data science perspective

“…Most NPIs generate significant costs for societies [ 4 ]. For low- or middle-income countries, with important income inequalities and a significant sector of the population working in an informal economy, such as Mexico [ 36 ], NPIs brought devastating consequences: increasing unemployment [ 37 , 38 ], crime [ 39 ], and domestic violence [ 40 ]. Many self-employed people belonging to the informal economy have been incapable of completely following NPIs, and they have been kept exposing themselves despite the epidemiological recommendations of social distancing [ 41 ].…”

The consequences of government measures in Palestine to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on gender-based violence

“…The radicated type of masculine dominance against women became more pronounced due to a lack of economic, educational and communal resources (Memmi, 2015). Valencia Londoño et al , 2021) conducted a study to analyze the behavior of VAW in the period of the pandemic in the cases of Colombia and Mexico from the perspective of horizontal inequality. It emphasizes that VAW is a form of discrimination that inhibits the full exercise and enjoyment of one’s rights.…”

“…Valencia London ˜o et al (2021) conducted another study to analyze the behavior of VAW during the period of the pandemic in the cases of Colombia and Mexico from the perspective of horizontal inequality. It emphasizes that VAW is a form of discrimination that inhibits the full exercise and enjoyment of one's rights.…”

Femicide in Mexico: Statistical evidence of an increasing trend

“…There are studies that discuss the 2020 situation related to the pandemic in terms of people being less vulnerable to crimes because of reduced mobility in public spaces. However, violence against women worsened considerably in this period as many women spent prolonged confinement periods with their aggressors, not only in Mexico but in other Latin American countries as well [27].…”