There are multiple reasons why women are often the victims of violent crimes. However, the leading cause is the lack of adequate prevention measures and victim-blaming. According to researchers, violence perpetrated by an intimate partner affects three out of ten women over their lifetime (Johnson et al. 3). Since severe violent outbursts often correlate with domestic abuse, the reason why women are affected is the inadequate response to such situations. Law enforcement, family, and friends often chose not to pay attention to women in violent relationships, which is another cause of the number of crimes related to femicide to increase.
Another fundamental reason why such atrocious crimes happen is the overall marginalization of women in society. Females are considered to be the weaker sex, which implies a sense of power and control for the opposite sex that may interpret these notions as tools to take advantage of the victim. The fact that the media and police are not paying as much attention to the problem as needed also creates a gap that is not being addressed.
There would be fewer crimes against women if the issue was properly addressed. Harsh sentences for the perpetrator, media coverage, and more discussions on the topic of femicide would create a safer society that would not tolerate such atrocities. As the community is mainly quiet in regards to these critical issues, the number of crimes increases, and no improvements are possible. This is why it is vital to address the problem by talking about it and punishing the criminals with harsh sentences. A zero-tolerance policy that would condone physical, sexual, and psychological abuse towards marginalized groups of people (women of color, lesbians, poor women, etc.) is also vital since the groups of females mentioned above are more prone to experience severe abuse.
Work Cited
Johnson, Holly, et al. “Intimate Femicide: The Role of Coercive Control.” Feminist Criminology, vol. 14, no. 1, 2017, pp. 3–23.