“Soy mujer. Tengo dignidad: I am a woman. I have dignity.” These empowering statements are often at the forefront of protests and demonstrations against femicide in Guatemala, but an environment that disparages the strength of its women enables this epidemic of violence to continue.

According to the United Nations, femicide is defined as “a crime involving the violent and deliberate killing of a woman because of her gender.” Recent statistics indicate that Guatemala has the third highest annual rate of femicide in the world with an estimated two murders per day. Femicide is distinct from other forms of homicide in that the victim’s gender is a prominent motive in the killing. In fact, the vast majority of femicide victims suffer at the hands of former romantic partners or male family members who allow hatred and retribution to fuel malicious behavior.

Although the ultimate result of femicide is death, many victims experience verbal and physical abuse, submission to rape and torture, forced prostitution and emotional manipulation. This creates a culture of trepidation wherein women are viewed as weak, powerless, and vulnerable. An inherently unstable government and a corrupt police force simply serve to reinforce this norm. The manner by which the world chooses to respond to this human rights crisis will certainly stand as a testament to the manner by which women everywhere will be empowered.

The evolution of Guatemala’s femicide epidemic is certainly an entangled and complex one. During the internal armed conflict of the late 20th century, women became especially susceptible to the same violence that ran rampant across the bloodstained country. When the conflict ceased in 1996, the war against women raged on. Years of instability left the nation’s justice system in utter ruin. This has resulted in a 98 percent impunity rate for perpetrators of femicide, with only a minute number of alleged cases prosecuted annually. According to the Guatemala Human Rights Commission, impunity may be the result of deep patriarchal sentiments that are rooted in the country’s authority systems such as the National Civilian Police, which fails to address instances of femicide in a fastidious manner. The commission reports: “The vast majority of femicide cases in Guatemala go unsolved because of the authorities’ failure to promptly open investigations, preserve crime scenes and collect evidence ... interview key witnesses, pursue leads, make timely arrests, lack of prioritization of femicide, harassment of victims’ families, and gender bias in state institutions.”

The lack of a definitive protocol for the deliverance of justice in femicide cases has presented a problem that is twofold. On the one hand, it allows the crippling wounds of grief to fester in the lives of those who have lost loved ones to femicide and fails to honor the memories of victims themselves. Furthermore, it perpetuates the false idea that femicide is an excusable act that bears no serious consequences. Guatemala has attempted to quell these issues in recent years with the establishment of a court that specifically aims to punish violence against women. This court, which was instituted in 2008, was the first of its kind and now maintains jurisdiction in the five provinces of the country where femicide takes the greatest toll. Legal experts and human rights activists believe that the impact of this important advancement is worth noting.

The National Center for Judicial Analysis and Documentation reports that cases of violence against women in these specialized courts yield a conviction and sentencing rate of 30 percent, while general courts succeed in punishing only 7.5 percent of cases. This does a great deal to empower survivors of violence, whose stories are validated in the midst of social workers and psychologists who assist them in the testimony process. However, those with an ardor for justice point out that an intrinsic shift in the way the country views women is necessary for sustainable change to occur. In the words of Norma Cruz, an activist who does not flag in her work with women in Guatemala, “The goal is zero deaths and zero impunity.” Until women are rightfully perceived as beings of inherent worth and infinite value, this goal will remain a distant one.

Although continued improvements to Guatemala’s shattered legal system are vital to ongoing strides towards equality, the importance of women’s empowerment efforts cannot be overstated. Economic and educational disparities that linger in the country continue to oppress women in an inferior state that subjects them to femicide and other abuses. Statistics indicate that women who come from impoverished or uneducated backgrounds are at a heightened risk for violence. This ultimatum is especially grave in a country where only 15.6 percent of the female population is granted access to a secondary education. Due to inadequate opportunities, many women find themselves defenseless in dire circumstances. This creates a cycle of violence and oppression that is passed from one generation of women to the next. Maria Cuc Choc, an advocate for indigenous communities and women’s rights in Guatemala, reflects on the cyclic nature of gender-based violence, “...I think of the mothers. Many mothers have experienced such abuses and continue to suffer from the psychological trauma. It is very difficult for these women to advocate for their daughters.” Unfortunately, the lack of empowering advocacy that many young Guatemalan women face has tragic consequences, many of which are manifested in the nation’s alarmingly high rates of femicide. The needed advancements are multifaceted and must ultimately arise from both Guatemalan and international communities. However, as small steps on the path to genuine change become great strides, mothers will indeed be equipped with the tools needed to advocate for their daughters. Perhaps daughters will then be equipped with the tools needed to advocate for themselves.

The persistence of femicide in Guatemala and the tragic human loss it entails demonstrates the need of authentic outreach. Far too many agonizing memorials of women whose lives were robbed from them are scattered across a nation that whispers with its beauty and screams with its pain. In a culture where the value of a woman is demeaned under patriarchal norms, brutal violence is not only enabled, but perhaps even encouraged. Weak legal structures make justice little more than a quiet dream for victims and their families. As opportunities for women remain scant, abuse and its associated fatal dangers remain inescapable realities. Nonetheless, there is hope in the fervent cries of the women who line the streets of Guatemala, proclaiming, “Yo soy mujer. Tengo dignidad.” May the world listen and respond to these bold women until at last, their words ring true.