Being one of the remaining 100,000 practicing Zoroastrians worldwide, I was raised under the Zoroastrian belief of Humata, Hukhta, and Huvarshta, meaning, Good Thoughts, Good Words, and Good Deeds. As I continued through my education and discovered my passion for peacebuilding, I learned that those beliefs could be applied to this field. I have studied detailed concepts of peace and conflict resolution, specifically relating to the management of cultural and religious differences, which led me to discover the integral role of religion in peace and making change. Part of these beliefs has led me to remain active and involved in the global feminist movement by combating violence against women and girls (VAWG) and by working to make equitable spaces for women globally. My experience in the religious and feminist space led me to do research on how scripture can be used to combat VAWG. Within my research on VAWG, I will be focusing on domestic violence/intimate partner violence, femicide, honor killings, sexual violence, and sexual exploitation and abuse.
From my research, it became clear to me that one of the main ways femicide cases are brought to a global stage is through the use of social media: people rallying together to ask for justice for victims of femicide. As I study the reporting of femicide, I discovered that it is severely underreported in media and news, despite being a very prevalent issue. Femicide, which is defined as the gender-related killing of women, is committed mainly by partners, ex-partners, or family members and, in some cases, is seen as socially and politically tolerated. In 2017, it was reported that 87,000 women were killed worldwide, more than half by intimate partners or family members (1). Furthermore, according to the World Health Organization, 38% of murders are committed by an intimate partner globally. Although it is such a widespread issue, efforts thus far to stop this form of gender-based violence have failed, and femicide remains a significant issue globally, especially due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Reasons as to why femicide is highly underreported vary. Mainly, it is due to the fact that in many countries, the data to collect information and record femicide is limited. Furthermore, even when femicide is reported, it is rarely reported in mainstream media. While people do bring it to the attention of a global audience through social media, such high-profile femicide cases do not correlate to changes within policing systems or laws and procedures surrounding femicide. This includes the implementation of more protections for women, thorough reporting and investigative systems, and accountability for perpetrators. According to a policy brief by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights summarizing studies of femicide in the media, it was found that in numerous country studies the way in which femicide cases were reported in the media contributed to the lack of responses by state and government officials (2). This is where cultural biases and gender stereotypes come into play, as media representation can turn into victim-blaming or normalize this form of VAWG and determine whether the victims’ stories will be brought to the spotlight (3). Racial and gender discrimination in mainstream media cause the perpetuation of femicide to be underreported, yet remain a prevalent issue globally. Through my study, I aim to discover how scripture can be used to combat femicide in the first place, knowing that religious communities have the ability to perpetuate change in diverse communities.
Author: Sascha Shroff
(1)https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/gsh/Booklet_5.pdf
(2)https://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/71/398&Submit=Search&Lang=E
(3)Fuentes, Lorena (2014) “Why Legislation Is Not Enough” – Femicide & GBV in Guatemala. In: Pathways to Power: Creating Sustainable Change for Adolescent Girls. Because I am a Girl: The State of the World’s Girls 2014.