Three years ago someone asked me after my first week of being in Canada, “How do you feel?” and without thinking the first thing that came out of my mouth was “I feel safe, I feel peace”, which was something this person did not expect as an answer. I explained that in El Salvador, I could not walk on the streets without getting harassed by men and here in Canada I could. I was lucky to receive private education, live in a safe neighbourhood, and grow up in a stable home, which put me in a position of privilege compared to other Salvadorian girls. However, this did not mean I did not feel threatened for being female. 

According to the UN, violence against women in El Salvador ranks among the highest worldwide; in fact, in 2019, El Salvador had the highest rates of femicides in Latin America. -Femicide is the murder of a woman or girl by a man due to the victim’s gender -. Fernandez (2019) explains that the causes of this violence are rooted in the patriarchal attitudes and machista culture in Salvadoran society. Machismo is a concept that dictates many aspects of Latin American male behavior. (Standford.edu, n.d) From experience, I believe that men in Latin America feel the pressure to be constantly demonstrating their “masculinity,” and many times for them, this justifies the use of violence, even against women. In fact, Acosta (n.d) explains that for some men, this behavior represents a masculine form of channeling emotions or frustrations. 

Donovan (2019) suggests that in Latin America, many men grow up with the idea that it’s acceptable to mistreat, insult, and control women, so they think they can dominate their girlfriends and wives too. Therefore, this domination could even make them feel that they can put an end to a woman’s life whenever they feel they are losing control over her. 

In 2016, El Salvador reported 524 femicides cases (one every 18 hours). While in 2017 and 2018, the country experienced a decrease in the number of these, there were still 851 women that died for being female during this period (Fernandez, 2019). Furthermore, according to a national survey in 2017, 67% of Salvadorian women have suffered some form of violence, sexual assault or abuse in their lifetime by their intimate partners or family members. Nevertheless, only 6% of these victims reported to the authorities, while the rest do not do it due to fear, shame, or because they thought they would not believe them. Also, according to the UN, three-quarters of femicides in El Salvador never get taken to court, and only 7% of those cases result in a conviction. (Nugent, 2019) 

Men in Latin America like to show that they are in control. They have the idea that the authorities cannot stop them and that women cannot take any power away from them. Therefore, I believe that the existence of a culture of discrimination based on gender, deep economic inequalities, and the impunity are factors that reproduce and perpetuate the patterns of violence against women. As a result, “men look down on a woman’s body as something that has no value. Or rather, as something they can destroy” (Donovan, 2019). This is the everyday reality of the majority of Salvadorian women in a country where violence against them is normalized. So for now, the only option we as women feel we have to feel completely safe and free is leaving, so we can find ourselves and our voices. 

References 

Acosta, D. (n.d.). LATIN AMERICA: The Traditional Model of Masculinity or ‘Machismo’. Retrieved from http://www.ipsnews.net/2003/04/latin-america-the-traditional-model-of-masculinity-or-machismo/ 
Donovan, L. (2019, February 6). ‘Men Kill Women Because They Can’. Retrieved from https://www.elle.com/uk/life-and-culture/a25626891/el-salvador-femicide-crisis/ 
Fernandez, A. (2019, January 22). Left in the Dark: Violence Against Women and LGBTI Persons in Honduras and El Salvador. Retrieved from https://www.lawg.org/left-in-the-dark-violence-against-women-and-lgbti-persons-in-honduras-and-el-salvador/ 
Machismo Sexual Identity. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://web.stanford.edu/group/womenscourage/Repro_Latin/ekobash_HIVmachismo_Latin.html 
Nugent, C. (2019, May 15). Violence in El Salvador Is Driving Women to the U.S. Border. Retrieved from https://time.com/5582894/gender-violence-women-el-salvador/?amp=true&fbclid=IwAR2_NFhh8WV8aWXpR2UAFze4xnf8tDp9anQV3GvuYw_1X9h43Cj25Wvp7Gc