Growing up in a Mexican American household where traditional gender roles were reinforced I have always been extremely frustrated by machismo. My grandmother made sure that I learned about Mexico and the issues that caused her to emigrate and that is when I came across the term femicide for the first time. Femicide: killing of women because they are women. One of the most if not the most extreme form of gender based violence. In 2023 it is estimated that 10 women were victims of femicide everyday. For me it was a no brainer what I wanted my capstone to focus on when I decided to major in peace and justice studies. 

For the interview assignment I had the opportunity to interview Dr. Rafael Luevano who is a professor of religious studies at Chapman University. In 2012 Luevano published the book “Woman-Killing in Juarez: Theodicy at the Border”. During our meeting we discussed femicide in Mexico as well as the reality of conducting this kind of work. I asked him about the correlation between domestic violence and femicide and he explained that it is a very important factor to consider when researching femicide.A significant amount of femicides in Mexico are women being killed by their partners where there is a history of domestic violence. It is important to note that here we were looking at all forms of domestic violence: physical, psychological, financial and sexual violence. Domestic violence in Mexico often goes without punishment as does femicide. The impunity for these crimes perpetuates gender inequality and gender based violence. 

Another aspect of femicide in Mexico that we discussed is the difficulty to find accurate quantitative data. As the crime of femicide goes underreported espeacially in rural areas it is difficult to find a solid reflection of the gravity of the situation. Then in cases where femicide is reported there is an attempt by news reporters to deny women their victimhood. In tabloids women are slandered as an attempt to justify the femicide. On this topic we also talked about the feminist responses to femicide . Women, mothers and fathers are sick and tired of this culture of violence and the impunity for the culture and structures that allow their daughters’ murders to go without punishment. There has been a shift in Mexico’s feminist movement from only benefiting middle class women in metropolitan cities to a movement led by women from small communities who are the mothers, sisters and daughters of murdered women. The feminist movement has also shifted from nonviolent to violent in response to increasing rates of femicide. Dr. Rafael Luevano and I also discussed the possibility of my capstone focusing mainly on feminist responses to femicide in Mexico. 

The last topic we discussed is the possibility of a career in Peace and Justice in regards to gender issues. He explained that when conducting the research for his book there were times when he felt his personal safety threatened and he was told by friends and colleagues to stop. He told me that there is a demand for people willing to take on this topic. To pursue research and a career aiming to end femicide in Mexico is not a want but a need that is often taken on by people who have a personal connection to the state. 

I am very grateful to Dr. Rafael Luevano for taking the time to meet with me and I plan to keep him in the loop as I move forward with my capstone project.