8th Conference on Feminicide/Femicide: Two Years of EU-CELAC Bi-Regional Dialogue on Gender Issues

Feminicide/femicide is “the violent death of women based on gender, whether it occurs within the family, a domestic partnership, or any other interpersonal relationship; in the community, by any person, or when it is perpetrated or tolerated by the state or its agents, by act or omission"[1]. It is the most extreme form of violence against women. It is not a matter of “…isolated incidents that arise suddenly and unexpectedly, but rather the ultimate act of violence which is experienced in a continuum of violence”[2] against women. The 8th Conference on Feminicide/Femicide: The Duty of Due Diligence to Eradicate Feminicide, which took place shortly before the Summit of the European Union and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (EU-CELAC Summit), examined the different aspects of the concept of due diligence and how it is reflected in actions taken by states in regards to issues surrounding violence against women and feminicide. It aimed to raise a clear question and came up with recommendations: What has been done in the framework of the EU-CELAC since the introduction in the Action Plan 2013-2015 of a Bi-Regional Dialogue on gender issues? And what have been the improvements achieved by the countries in the past two years? Experts and attendants of the conference discussed the successes and shortcomings and elaborated concrete recommendations for the EU-CELAC Summit. 

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[1] Follow-Up Mecanism of the Convention of Belém do Pará (MESECVI), 2008

[2] Report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, Rashida Manjoo, http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Women/A.HRC.20.16_En.pdf