Homicide/ Femicide
To Do:
*Read the summary below
*Read Barak p.48- 65
*Read Homicide/ Femicide readings 1,2,3
*Go to the Discussion Forum: Answer the Questions on Homicide/
Femicide
Note: if you have problems downloading the readings, please get in
touch immediately
Homicide
Key Concepts: Definition, patterns, explanations
We have already begun to touch of some issues related to homicide.
When we considered ‘Measuring Violence and the Problems of Researching
Violence’ we noted that many commentators regard the homicide figures as the
most accurate of the criminal statistics; they have less of a hidden figure than other
forms of violence statistics. Why is this? This is simply because as there is usually a
body homicide is hard to hide. Elliott Currie (2009) has also pointed out, in terms
of looking at the subject more globally, that the World Health Organization ‘has
collected data from health authorities around the world for many years, and
imposes a common definition of homicide on all of the reporting countries. As a
result, the statistics avoid the problem that bedevils official police statistics of
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having to deal with varying legal definitions of crime’ (p.21 – see previous reading
for Class 2).
As part of our studies on measurement I also encouraged you to look up US
Department of Justice data on homicide rates and trends:
http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/htus8008.pdf
(you may need to cut and paste the link into your browser). And to think about why
the homicide rate has declined since the mid-1990s.
Further, at the end of last week we focused on an extreme form of homicide, that of
serial killing.
Definitions and Patterns:
Read Barak’s description of the legal definitions and types of homicidal events, p.4851.
Barak and the US Department of Justice’s data on homicide trends and patterns
(see link above) show us that most homicides do not involve strangers. They are
usually committed by acquaintances, friends or intimates – this is even more likely
for women victims. Males account for the vast majority of victims and offenders
(nearly 80% of homicide victims and nearly 90% of offenders) and the riskiest age
is between 18-24 years.
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Explanations
We need to try to explain the homicide patterns (think about some of the theories
we looked at in the previous class – can they help us with this?) and why the United
States has such a high homicide rate in comparison to other advanced countries.
As Elliott Currie (2009) comments, whilst the homicide rate in recent years does not
put the United States with the worst countries in Latin America and the Caribbean,
or the former Soviet Union, but it does make it, ‘stand out starkly among the rest of
the world’s developed countries. The chances of dying by violence in the United
States range from roughly 4 to more than 10 times those of the other rich countries
of the world. To put this difference more starkly, in 2006, there were more deaths
from homicide in Oakland, California – a city of about 375,000 people – than the
entire country of Sweden with a population of almost 9 million’ (p. 28) . See the
graph below.
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How Relevant Are Individual Explanations?
There are many perspectives that have focused on the individual (again think about
what we looked at yesterday). The causes are thought to be rooted in the offender’s
psychology or biology. The problem here is that the homicide figures – and the
general levels of violence in society - are too large for it to be simply caused by a few
maladjusted individuals. In recent years many have tried to argue that there is a
genetic basis (the “its in our genes” explanation). However, this also does not hold
true when we consider the enormous variation in serious violent crime. It is not
possible to explain such variation on the basis of an innate biological predisposition.
As Currie (2009) has said, ‘no one has ever shown credibly that such an individual
biological characteristic exists – one that explains why so many more people are
murdered in, say, Russia or El Salvador than in Finland and Costa Rica. The great
variation in crime across different societies, indeed, is one of the most powerful
arguments against these simplistic biological views’ (p.42).
How Relevant Are Social Explanations?
Inequality: There is a wide gap in the United States between the rich and the poor,
between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’. However, inequality is not just about
economic inequality – it is about other forms of social disadvantage, for example,
access to material goods, health care, good education, meaningful jobs. Inequality
has an impact on ‘the stability of families, to the capacity of parents to care for and
supervise children, and to the cohesion of the communities in which people live’
(Currie, 2009, p. 66). Robert Merton (1957), who you should be familiar with if you
took SOC203, argued that extremes of inequality in advanced capitalist societies,
such as the United States, results in a strain between people’s desires for material
possessions and status (trying to achieve the ‘American Dream’) and what they can
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realistically achieve through legitimate means. Countries that have less of a gap
between the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ and less social disadvantage have lower
homicide rates.
How Relevant are Guns?
How much of it is about the easy availability of firearms? Most advanced countries
have strict regulations governing gun ownership. The UK, for example, banned
handguns after the Dunblane school massacre in 1996. The link below gives you
some background information on Dunblane (you may need to cut and paste it into
your browser).
http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2013/mar/14/dunblane-massacrescotland-killing
Certainly, it is true that guns are more likely to cause serious injuries or death than
fists and even knives.
We have just touched on social explanations for homicide: young men who feel
socially marginalized may feel a need to assert themselves, to gain status and
identity, by committing violent acts and the availability of guns makes it more likely
that this will result in a homicide.
However, many Americans argue the right to own and carry guns is fundamental to
the Constitution and that most gun-owners are law abiding.
Gun control has been very much in the news since the Sandy Hook tragedy. In the
Discussion Forum I want you to consider the relevance of guns and whether stricter
laws might prevent such tragedies happening in future. Attached separately is a
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link to an article on the tragedy which features a Sandy Hook mother who is firmly
behind gun control .
Why Did the Homicide Rate Decline?
When we considered ‘Measuring Violence and the Problems of Researching
Violence’, I asked you to think about why the homicide rate declined. This question
has been subject to much debate and there is no definitive answer. Here are some of
the explanations that have been put forward:
* Policing has become more effective at controlling the possession of weapons and
disorderly situations.
* Control of low level disorder through zero tolerance policing has an upward effect
of reducing serious crimes such as homicide.
* The statistics are being manipulated by the police to show a downward tendency.
* The War on Drugs resulted in the long term incarceration of many potentially
violent offenders.
* The long term entry of women into the labor market has resulted in their
increased presence in the public sphere of shops, restaurants and bars etc. As
women have a lower tolerance to violence this has had a ‘civilizing’ impact on the
public sphere.
*The shift from manufacturing to service jobs has produced a new generation of
men who construct their masculinity in a way that is more sympathetic and
conciliatory rather than the hard confrontationist masculinity of the past.
*Younger kids living in the city started to see what was happening to their older
brothers and friends – homicide or incarceration – and decided to follow another
path, for e.g., education.
(Young, 2013)
You should be aware that in some urban areas, for example, East New York,
the homicide rate is on the rise.
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Femicide
Key Concepts: Definition, feminism
Feminists began using the term ’femicide’ in the late 1970s to describe ‘the
misogynous killing of women by men’ (Radford and Russell, 1992, p.9). It widens
the definition of homicide ‘to include situations in which women are permitted to
die from misogynous attitudes or social practices, for example, when women die due
to illegal abortions or when prevented from having an abortion, infections arising
from female circumcision (female genital mutilation), the deliberate transmission of
the HiV virus by rapists, ‘from infanticide, in which more female babies are killed
than males; and even from the deliberate preference given to boys over girls in
many cultures, resulting in death from neglect and starvation’. (ibid, p.7).
Although, in discussing homicide I noted that the homicide figures are widely
regarded as the most accurate of the criminal statistics, the acknowledgement of
femicide forces us to again question such data. For many incidents of femicide will
be hidden or passed off as due to other explanations.
One example of femicide is honor killing. I am attaching a reading on honor killing
and a United Nations documentary in order to provide you with more information
on this topic.
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Reading:
Homicide/ Femicide Reading 1, 2, 3 (2,3 are attached)
Homicide/ Femicide: Reading 1
In this extract from Jack Katz’s book Seductions of Crime (1988), the author is critical
of the social science literature for paying too much attention to background causes
and not what is actually happening in the act (what it sounds like) and the intense
emotions that are involved. Emotions such as rage, humiliation but also excitement,
the attraction, the thrill Clearly it is important that we think about the emotions
that are involved in an act of violence.
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Homicide/ Femicide: Reading 2
This reading is from J. Radford and D. Russell (1992) Femicide; The Politics of
Woman Killing, New York: Macmillan, Introduction. You may find many of the
chapters interesting, especially if you are thinking of writing on violence against
women. However, for this section I just want you to read the ‘Introduction’ p. 3-11.
Homicide/ Femicide Reading 3
This will provide you with some background information on honor killing.
Documentary: Watch this United Nations documentary on honor
killing. (You may need to cut and paste into your browser)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtUS_JSxnwI
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Discussion Forum: Homicide/ Femicide
Now go to the discussion forum and answer the following
questions by 1/14
1. Do you think that stricter gun control laws could prevent another
tragedy, such as that which occurred at Sandy Hook elementary school,
from occurring?
2. What is meant by ‘femicide’?
3. Answer a or b:
a) Read the case studies on homicide in Barak, chapter 2; what, if any, are the
similarities and differences between mass killer Timothy McVeigh, serial
rapist and killer Arohn Kee, and family killer Bob Rowe?
OR
b) Describe what is meant by ‘honor killing’ and the impact that it has on
women and their communities.
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Culture of Discrimination: A Fact Sheet on “Honor” Killings
Istanbul, Turkey -Ignoring the pleas of his 14-year old daughter to spare her life, Mehmet Halitogullari pulled on a wire
wrapped around her neck and strangled her - supposedly to restore the family's honor after she was kidnapped and
raped…“I decided to kill her because our honor was dirtied,” the newspaper Sabah quoted the father as saying. “I didn't
listen to her pleas, I wrapped the wire around her neck and pulled at it until she died” (The Associated Press).
Every year around the world an increasing number of women are reported killed in the name of “honor”. Relatives,
usually male, commit acts of violence against wives, sisters, daughters and mothers to reclaim their family honor from
real or suspected actions that are perceived to have compromised it. Due to a range of factors, including discriminatory
attitudes and beliefs about women, officials often condone or ignore the use of torture and brutality against women. As a
result, the majority of so-called honor killings go unreported and perpetrators face little, if any, consequence.
Although “honor” killings are widely reported in regions throughout the Middle East and South Asia, United Nations
Special Rapporteurs on Extrajudicial, Summary and Arbitrary Executions have reported that these crimes against women
occur in countries as varied as Bangladesh, Brazil, Ecuador, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Morocco,
Pakistan, Sweden, Turkey, Uganda and the United Kingdom. There have also been incidents of honor killings reported in
the United States and Canada. In September 2000, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) estimated that as many
as 5,000 women and girls are murdered each year in so-called honor killings by members of their own families.
International Human Rights Foundations
•
Article 1 of the UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women proclaims “the term ‘violence
against women’ means any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or
psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of
liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.”
•
The Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination of All Forms Against Women (CEDAW) concludes
that “…State Parties [should] take all appropriate measures […] to modify the social and cultural patterns of
conduct of men and women, with a view to achieving the elimination of prejudices […] and all other practices
which are based on the idea of inferiority or the superiority of either of the sexes or on stereotyped roles for men
and women.”
•
CEDAW General Recommendation 19 clarifies that traditional public and private ideologies that regard women
as “subordinate to men” and seek to “justify gender-based violence as a form of protection or control” deprive
women of mental and bodily integrity.
•
The Platform for Action on Women’s Human Rights from the UN Fourth World Conference on Women
calls upon states to “take urgent action to combat and eliminate violence against women, which is a human rights
violation resulting from harmful traditional or customary practices, cultural prejudices and extremism.”
•
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) asserts that “every human being has the
inherent right to life” in addition to “the right to liberty and security of person”.
The Concept of Honor
So-called honor killings are based on the deeply rooted belief that women are objects and commodities, not human beings
entitled to dignity and rights equal to those of men. Women are considered the property of male relatives and are seen to
embody the honor of the men to whom they “belong”. Women's bodies are considered the repositories of family honor.
The concepts of male status and family status are of particular importance in communities where “honor” killings occur
and where women are viewed as responsible for upholding a family’s “honor.” If a woman or girl is accused or suspected
of engaging in behavior that could taint male and/or family status, she may face brutal retaliation from her relatives that
often results in violent death. Even though such accusations are not based on factual or tangible evidence, any allegation
of dishonor against a woman often suffices for family members to take matters into their own hands.
Convicted killers often speak with defiant pride and without regret about their actions. "We do not consider this
murder," said Wafik Abu Abseh, a 22-year-old Jordanian woodcutter who committed a so-called honor killing, as
his mother, brother and sisters nodded in agreement. "It was like cutting off a finger." Abdel Rahim, a convicted
killer who was released after two months, also said he had no regrets. "Honor is more precious than my own flesh
and blood”(New York Times).
What can precipitate an “honor” killing?
Women and girls can be killed for a variety of behaviors. This can range from talking with an unrelated male to
consensual sexual relations outside marriage to being a victim of rape to seeking a divorce or refusing to marry the man
her family has chosen for her. Even the suspicion of a transgression may result in a killing. AI received a report of a
man who killed his wife on the basis of a dream he had about her committing adultery. Women have been killed for
ostensibly disrespecting their husbands. In one case, a woman was beaten to death for not performing her domestic duties
quickly enough. Women may also be assaulted physically but not killed. When they attempt to seek help from law
enforcement, they may be disbelieved or they may be discredited by officials who support prevailing discriminatory
attitudes towards women. Some countries have passed laws that allow lesser penalties for men who kill "in the name of
family honor". In others, the police may be bribed by the family of the killer to ignore attempts to report the killing as a
murder.
In 1999, twenty-nine year old Samia Sarwar was shot dead in her lawyer's office in Lahore. Her parents
instigated the murder, feeling that Samia had brought shame on the family by seeking divorce after 10 years of
marital abuse. Although the perpetrators can be easily identified, not one of them has been arrested. Instead, her
lawyer, Hina Jilani, and her colleague, Asma Jahangir, have been publicly condemned and received death
threats.
Religious, Social and Institutional Justifications for “Honor” Killings
So-called honor crimes occur in societies in which there is interplay between discriminatory tribal traditions of justice and
statutory law. In some countries this is exacerbated by inclusion of Shari'a, or Islamic law, or zina (sex outside of
marriage) as a crime within statutory law. Due to women's enforced seclusion, submission to men and second-class
citizenship, women seldom know their rights under national or international law, and rarely have a chance to defend
themselves in a court of law. Local law enforcement officials often turn a blind eye or fail to enforce significant
punishments for the murder of women. Police and members of the public may help the killer's family cover up the murder
by refusing to register it as a crime, or by delaying long enough to allow the killer to escape the vicinity. In countries such
as Jordan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, any form of immorality, whether adultery or rape, is considered a way of
dishonoring the family and may lead to “honor” related violence.
Communal Aspect of “Honor” Killings
So-called honor killings are part of a community mentality. Large sections of society share traditional conceptions of
family honor and approve of “honor” killings to preserve that honor. Even mothers whose daughters have been killed in
the name of honor often condone such violent acts. Such complicity by other women in the family and the community
strengthens the concept of women as property without personal worth. In addition, communal acceptance of “honor”
killings furthers the claim that violence in the name of honor is a private issue and one to be avoided by law enforcement.
Community acceptance of these killings stifles accurate reporting of the number of violent crimes against women in the
name of honor. As a result, the true extent of the prevalence of “honor” killings is still not fully known.
“It is an unholy alliance that works against women: the killers take pride in what they have done, the tribal
leaders condone the act and protect the killers and the police connive the cover-up.” Nighat Taufeeq of the
women’s resource center Shirkatgah (Lahore, Pakistan).
The murder of women in the name of “honor” is a gender-specific form of discrimination and violence. In societies
where so-called honor killings are allowed to occur, governments are failing in their responsibility to protect and
ensure women their human rights. “Honor” killings should be regarded as part of a larger spectrum of violence
against women, as well as a serious human rights violation. Amnesty International calls on you to help bring an end to
“honor” killings, and to demand that governments take steps to ensure that women and men enjoy equal treatment
under law.
For more information on women’s human rights, visit AIUSA’s Women’s Human Rights Program website at
www.amnestyusa.org/women or call (202) 807-8400.
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