TW: Discussions of femicide and violence against women. If these subjects are triggering to you please skip out on this article read one of our others.
In recent years, Women’s History Month has gained quite a bit of traction. It has been an annual declared month since 1995 where Americans take this time to recognize the achievements and contributions of women throughout history. Books by female authors are pushed to the front of Barnes & Nobles, radio shows broadcast top hits by female artists, and more. I think acknowledging the achievements of women is so important, but this month is a missed opportunity for reflection.
The violence against women in America is an atrocious problem, one that doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. 1 in 3 women have experienced some type of physical violence from an intimate partner. Annually, 1.9 million women experience a violent attack. Statistics can seem abstract, and our society has become so desensitized to violence and social injustice. However, try to visualize 1.9 million people. If there are 15 girls in your Biology class, statistically at least 5 of them have experienced physical violence from a partner. That is a terrifying reality.
The idea of a “hate crime” has just recently become a more commonly known idea. However, we don’t often discuss what that can mean for a woman. “Femicide” is a specific type of hate crime, where a person is killed intentionally because they are a woman or a girl. Diana E.H. Russell, a feminist author, was the first person to put a name to this crime. Although Women’s History Month is an American holiday, femicide is a huge problem globally. In 2020, Mexico approved harsher sentencing for convicted femicide killers.
The world that women live in often feels like such a terrifying one, and it’s important to not only celebrate how far we’ve come, but to recognize how much work there still is left to do. Every girl I know carries a pepper spray in their purse and has rehearsed how to react if they think they’re being followed on the walk home. Until women can walk down the street and not feel afraid, there is so much work to do.