From Our February Newsletter
Black femicide is a problem that transpires across various nations all over the world; and yet, here in the United States, it is a dire issue that goes unnoticed.
Femicide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), is the deliberate killing of women for the sole reason of their biological sex, but broader definitions include killings of women or girls.
However, there is no universally accepted definition of femicide in the United States. Crimes against women, whether or not they meet the criteria, are classified as domestic violence or intimate partner violence.
And, despite the fact that the number of women killed in the United States has steadily increased since 2014, it is not recognized as a problem in the same way it is in other countries.
One of the most shocking findings is the increased risk of death for Black girls and women.
The CDC has reported that Black women have had significantly higher rates as homicide victims compared to any other female demographic in the United States since at least 2017. At least four Black women and girls would be murdered every day, according to reports. That statistical prediction became a blunt reality two years ago.
According to FBI statistics released this month, at least four Black women and girls were murdered in the United States each day in 2020, a significant increase from the previous year.
Nine out of ten of the victims from that year knew their assailants; many of them were Black men from their neighborhoods or with whom they had relationships.
The main risk factor is the ease with which perpetrators can obtain firearms, both legally and illegally.
The “Boyfriend Loophole” is a current federal law that allows domestic abusers to keep their guns, stating that if a person is convicted of domestic violence, current federal law does not prohibit abused or current former dating partners from possessing firearms.
This law applies to boyfriends who have a child in common with the domestic violence victim, boyfriends who live or have lived with the victim, or are “similarly situated to a spouse,” despite the fact that dating partners commit more than half of all initiate partner homicides.
The systematic killing of Black women around the world is a unique situation because it is a result of how systematic racism and misogyny reinforce one another.
Because Black women’s issues do not receive the same level of attention as those of White women, the majority of Black women and girls are left unprotected and vulnerable to violence, abuse, and murder.
Femicide has always been connected with expressions of masculine domination. However, racially motivated femicide is driven by oppressive images, not just from past slavery, but also in a present culture where the abuse and humiliation of Black women are commonplace.
Black Femicide US, an advocacy group that monitors violence and murders against Black women and girls, claims to have documented 1,068 such homicides between 2011 and 2021.
The Facebook group has over 50,000 followers, and the founder, Rosalind Page, is committed to exposing the unreported atrocities against Black women.
Page has been a nurse for 31 years, and she works in the Veterans Affairs Department, lending her expertise to women veterans who have experienced high levels of abuse both in the community and as a serviceperson.
“I primarily focus on femicide in African-American communities and have been collecting data and recording incidents of femicide in the United States for almost five years to bridge a data gap and raise light to this overlooked epidemic,” said Page.
Because of women like Page, the issue of Black femicide has grown as a topic of discussion all over the world. However, most demographics are still oblivious to the gender-based violence that is killing Black women.
Aside from raising awareness about the issue through social media, some have actively demanded law enforcement to start taking these fatal matters seriously.
On September 25th, Black Femicide US held a march to raise awareness and continue the fight against daily violence.
As many more Black women continue to advocate for stronger policies to protect the minority from violence, another march in D.C. is scheduled to occur in September in 2022.
