First Lady Seeks to Address Rise in Violent Deaths of Women

First Lady Rosa Elena de Lobo met Wednesday with the director of the National Institute for Women (INAM) María Antonieta de Boto to determine what can be done to reduce the number of women who are murdered in Honduras. The "Day of the Woman" was celebrated in Honduras on February 25. Part of the commemoration ceremonies included a march to the Congressional building in Tegucigalpa to protest the femicide epidemic in the country. Femicide is defined as "the systematic killing of women for various reasons, usually cultural". This troubling pheneomenon is continuing to grow at an alarming rate of 37 percent, with a total of 380 femicidal deaths registered in 2009, compared to 252 for 2008, according to Honduras' National Institute for Women. The rates have consistently climbed in recent years. In 2004, there were 138 reported cases of femicide; 161 in 2005; 185 in 2006; and 149 in 2007. One femicide case is registered every 48 hours in Honduras.

While the word "femicide" is relatively new in Honduras, volence and sexual abuse of women (including rape) in the country has a long history, made worse by the fact that many of these crimes go unsolved or unpunished due to biases dominated by the culture of "machismo" that severely diminish the rights and status of women. The highest number of femicide cases has been reported in San Pedro Sula, with 160 deaths, followed by Tegucigalpa with 137, La Ceiba with 22, Comayagua with 21, the Bay Islands with 3, and Choluteca with 2. (2/18/10) (photo courtesy Internet)