Deconstructing Femi(ni)Cide: Interrogating Structural Dynamics and Practical Implications in Brazil, Mexico and Italy

This paper critically engages with the concepts and the definitions of femi(ni)cide in the socio-political landscapes of Brazil, Mexico and Italy, focusing on the intersecting issues of punitivism, structural inequalities, and the practical outcomes associated with labelling the murder of women on a gender discrimination context as femi(ni)cide.

Through an intersectional lens, we analyse how femi(ni)cide intersects with other forms of oppression, including race, class, ethnicity, and sexuality, amplifying vulnerabilities and shaping victimisation and perpetration patterns. Using a comparative qualitative methodology across three different cases– Brazil, Mexico and Italy –our examination reveals how the label of femi(ni)cide can sometimes oversimplify the multifaceted nature of gender-based violence. This framing risks obscuring the underlying structural inequalities and power dynamics that sustain and perpetuate such violence. Moreover, we explore how responses rooted in punitivism tend to reproduce these oversimplifications.

By deconstructing the concept of femi(ni)cide, we interrogate its inclusivity and the practical outcomes of labelling certain forms of gender-based violence as such. Ultimately, our analysis highlights that femi(ni)cide is not merely an individual issue but a structural problem rooted in intersecting systems of oppression. We advocate for comprehensive strategies that prioritise systemic change, social justice, and the dismantling of intersectional structural inequalities and patriarchal forms of oppression- This aims to effectively address femi(ni)cide and other forms of violence in Brazil, Mexico, Italy and beyond.