Stop Femicide!

Norma Cruz was named person of the year(2009), in Guatemala and she was one of eight women in the world to received a "Woman of Courage" award from the US Department of State in 2009.

On March 2, 2010 Norma Cruz visited the Virginia Commonwealth University campus and spoke at the "Stop Femicide!" event. The pre-event luncheon was attended by a number of students and then the formal program was well-attended when Ms. Cruz gave testimony about violence against women. The reflective response from students was outstanding and many of them have mobilized in different ways in response. Below is one response by

VCU School of Social Work student

Brie Jordan-Cooley.

Norma Cruz,  an acclaimed human rights activist from Guatemala was welcomed to the community by a number of local organizations who recognize the need to offer international support to communities struggling with poverty, violence and oppression.   The program started with a Mayan ritual meant to facilitate harmony and strength.  It was conducted by Lupe Ramirez, a native Guatemalan who is also one of the founders of the Highland Support Project in Richmond, VA a nonprofit that works to develop self-sustaining projects in her homeland.  Following this, Karen Smith Rotabi, PhD, an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at VCU and Janett Forte, an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at VCU offered their perspective regarding issues of human rights violations such as gender violence and domestic violence.  Finally, Amanda Martin, director for the Guatemala Human Rights Commission (GHRC), formally introduced Norma Cruz in preparation for her personal testimony.   

Norma Cruz has received a number of humanitarian awards, the most recent being the 2009 Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award and the 2009 Person of the Year Award from Guatemala’s Prensa Libre.  Norma Cruz is the co-founder and director of the nongovernmental organization, Survivors Foundation, which runs a myriad of programs such as a survivor’s shelter and campaigns that seek information about illegal international adoption rings In a candid discussion prior to the presentation, Mrs. Cruz explained that is has taken over three and a half years to uncover information about this process.  I had heard of this while visiting my sister in Guatemala a few years ago so I was intrigued about the subject.  Illegal adoptions are a lucrative business endeavor that has benefitted numerous government officials and citizens, making the quest for truth and effective legal representation more difficult.    To understand the severity of the situation she offered an analogy by explaining that it is more difficult to buy a television than a child.  In order to purchase a television, one must complete a credit check and offer bank statements to verify one’s credibility whereas for a child one only needs a couple hundred dollars.  She estimated that 95% of children trafficked from Guatemala are brought into the United States, making it a humanitarian issue of grave importance for not only Guatemala but the United States as well.  It was not until I heard her speaking about it that I was able to fully understand the severity of the situation.  It gave me incentive to be even more aware of the process of adoption while in the field.   

During the main presentation, she focused on the presence of femicide in Guatemala. In the last ten years, the 5,000 women who have been killed in Guatemala bear evidence of ritualistic abuse.   The numbers have risen exponentially each year.  Three hundred seventeen were murdered women in 2001 compared to 708 in 2009.  Many of these bodies were then placed on public display within the town or village.  I found her vivid depictions of the violence difficult to hear despite prior knowledge of the situation, although I appreciated the honesty as well.  Mrs. Cruz identifies this action as an intentional attempt to instill fear in the hearts of women and young girls.  In Killer’s Paradise, a documentary about this phenomenon, a man, with face obscured, explains that “It is the fashion here to kill women”.  Another remarks, “Many [men] would kill for fun; it felt good.”

The act of killing a woman based solely on her gender is defined as femicide.   Femicide is identified as the systematic killing of women and is further recognized as a gender crime.   In my research about gender violence within refugee and immigrant populations both in the United States, Canada and other countries, I have learned that the phenomena is a global issue that directly and indirectly affects women, men and their families equally.   In her presentation, Norma Cruz spoke to this point.  The statements made by the men above are proof that the violence affects both men and women.  Family inheritance includes material as well as psychological gifts such as “machismo”, an ideology that is sexist in nature, with little regard to the strengths of women.    She asserts, however, that this approach to gender is not specific to Latino culture.  Rather it is an ideology that belongs to the entire world.   She explains that it is the same around the world because it is a situation of power, wherein one party tries to control another.  Although the role of women has evolved, the way of thinking that dictates the man works while the woman stays at home, remains.  I believe that this continues to be a struggle in our own country as well.  She goes on to explain that this mentality is evident when a child is first born.  The birth of a boy involves a great celebration, while the birth of a girl does not.  There is priority given to him receiving a structured education, even with limited funds.  The girl remains at home as she must be adequately prepared to tend to the needs of her future husband.    A woman is expected to marry and when she does, she is expected to attend to the needs of her husband and family. 

Norma Cruz spoke specifically to the issue of domestic violence, explaining that the process is generally gradual.    It begins with a scream that morphs into a punch and later becomes murder.  She believes that both the punitive measures taken by the government regarding perpetrators of physical violence and sexual assault as well as the process of ignoring the problem for many years have only generated more violence.  This statement made me think of the inconsistent manner in which our own legal system deals with issues of domestic violence, either in prevention or safety for the survivor.  One goal of the Survivor’s Foundation is to focus on transforming the manner in which politicians conceptualize gender violence in Guatemala.  She offered the example of a judge who proclaimed that a woman who had been shot 16 times by her husband was better off because if she had only been shot once or twice she would have had to suffer.  She estimates that a total of 55% of woman are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends.  Legislation that protects women rather than place the power in the hands of fathers or husbands must be implemented.

She ended her presentation by asking the audience to love and value life.  She implored the audience to revel in the emotions that they might be experiencing following the stories and images she shared with us so that they do no become normalized.  She explained that the murders of women have become a daily occurrence.  The main newspaper has a small box on its front page tallying the number of reported murders so far for the year.  “Six year-olds are armed and 15-year-olds are guilty of committing murder.”  She explains that when children are not taught the value of life and when murder is tolerated, a situation like that which exists in Guatemala today develops.  “The day I stop feeling, I must step back because then I have caught the disease of desensitization”.

The information provided by Norma Cruz is relevant to the field of social work on a number of different levels.  The basic human rights of women are not being properly represented in their communities, governmental structure or for many, in their own homes.  It is the duty of a social worker to ensure that the needs of a community, particularly those that might be underrepresented and oppressed, be appropriately met.  It is important to recognize, however, as Norma Cruz points out, that this not simply be focused on one country, as it is a global issue.  In addition, it is an issue that women struggle with in the United States on a daily basis as well.  Based on Bureau of Justice Statistics, the Domestic Violence Resource Center estimates that one in four women will experience domestic violence at least once in their lifetime.  Everyday three women are killed by intimate partners.  In addition to the suffering experienced by these women, their children are also affected.  Studies estimate that between 3.3 and 10 million children experience some form domestic violence each year.  Therefore, the presence of violence within intimate partner relationships as well as in our culture is a reality as well.  It is integral that social workers and other care professionals acknowledge that ramifications of violence both in their country of origin as well as internationally.  Despite legal measures that have been taken in the United States to ensure the safety of domestic violence survivors, it is still a considerable problem that must be addressed. 

Another Human Rights Defender

Sandra Moran, who returned to Guatemala after years in exile in the US during the 36-year armed conflict, represents the historical memory of Guatemalan women who first fought for inclusion with men in the peace process. She reminds us how indigenous and Mestiza women across the county came together, not only the famous ones, and ultimately were the key engineers of the peace accords and the reconciliation process. From this history, and with our support, our delegation believes we have some basis of hope for Guatemalan women. Sandra Moran reminded us that Guatemalan women are interested in building, not in struggling against something.  Our power and wealth and rising concern for human rights gives us the opportunity to support  Guatemalan women’s efforts to reform judicial systems, build domestic violence shelters, protect their workers, educate their girls, and provide opportunities for creative expression  they are more than ready to build their own future.  This future will not be built, as Sandra reminded us, only with struggles against narcotics trafficking or corruption.

Survivors Foundation in Guatemala City is one of many non-governmental organizations engaged in change. Co-founded by Norma Cruz, the organization focuses on violence against women services include psycho-social interventions and policy advocacy, including legal assistance to victims.

Unfortunately, this work is dangerous as the advocates/social workers/human rights workers of Survivors Foundation and other organizations in Guatemala live with threats on a daily basis. Norma Cruz herself has lived with death threats and under duress as a human rights defender.