Fatal Borders: Femicide and Immigration

Findings from a comparative nation-based study on femicide align with current scholarly interest in seeking possible links between social factors and homicide. Data from 162 cases of femicide in Israel during 2010-2015 indicate immigrants’ vulnerability to femicide. The substantial overrepresentation of three main immigrant groups: Jews from the former USSR, Jews from Ethiopia and foreigners (Asylum seekers and foreign workers) suggest that immigration may play a major role in this criminal phenomenon. The empirical observations will be discussed along social strain related to immigration and its correlative social constraints such as lack of a social network, employment, and language skills – that might explain the high rates of femicide among immigrants.