Protecting a Woman's Honor or Protecting Her Sexual Freedom

Challenging the Guatemalan Patriarchal State through Reforms to Sexual Violence Legislation

Dados Bibliográficos

ID4501258
AutoresSarah England (autor correspondente)
Ano2014
Volume41
Fascículo1
Páginas124-142
Data de publicação2014-01-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoLatin American Perspectives (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0094-582X • E-ISSN: 1552-678X
EditoraSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0094582x13492136
OpenAlexW2055335625
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas7
Referências citadas16

The coming of peace in Central America after several decades of civil war and military dictatorships has not resulted in an end to violence. Murder rates have risen to such a degree that these countries are among the most violent in the world. One form of violence that has received a great deal of attention is the murder of women, but many argue that this is only one of many forms of violence that women face on a daily basis. The women's organizations that have emerged in Guatemala since the end of the civil war have focused on demanding greater political and economic rights for women and laws that recognize violence against women as a crime and improve the mechanisms for investigating and prosecuting it. Two recent laws redefine sex crimes in such a way as to suggest that they should be seen as heinous acts regardless of the woman's sexual history, character, or age. Though these discursive changes are a triumph, problems with the legal system and the persistence of sexist ideologies have so far limited the effectiveness of these new laws. La llegada de la paz a Centroamérica tras varias décadas de guerra civil y dictaduras militares no ha puesto fin a la violencia. El índice de asesinatos ha aumentado a tal grado que estos países se encuentran entre los más violentos del mundo. Una forma de violencia que ha recibido mucha atención es el femicidio, pero muchos argumentan que esta es sólo una entre muchas formas de violencia que las mujeres enfrentan a diario. Las organizaciones de mujeres que han surgido en Guatemala desde el fin de la guerra civil se han centrado en demandar mayores derechos políticos y económicos para las mujeres y leyes que reconozcan como delito la violencia contra la mujer, mejorando los mecanismos de investigación y justicia. Dos leyes recientes redefinen los delitos sexuales de tal forma que sugieren que pueden considerarse actos atroces sin importar la edad, carácter o historia sexual de la mujer. Aunque estos cambios discursivos representan un triunfo, los problemas con el sistema legal y la persistencia de ideologías machistas han limitado, hasta ahora, la eficacia de estas nuevas leyes

Art · Criminology · Democracy · Dictatorship · Face (sociological concept) · Honor · Humanities · Ideology · Political science · Politics · Sexual violence · Social science · Sociology · Spanish Civil War · Gender Politics and Representation · Gender Studies · Gender, Security, and Conflict · Law · Sex work and related issues