Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.31141/zrpfs.2026.63.159.105
Femicide in Focus: From Global Recommendations to Regional Solutions, with Special Emphasis on the Challenges in Implementing the Belém do Pará Convention
Marissabell Škorić
orcid.org/0000-0003-0627-3651
; Sveučilište u Rijeci, Pravni fakultet
Sandra Fabijanić Gagro
orcid.org/0000-0003-3992-8618
; Sveučilište u Rijeci, Pravni fakultet
Abstract
Following introductory reflections on femicide as a global-scale ‘pandemic’, the paper provides
an overview of international efforts to combat violence against women, with particular emphasis
on the activities of the United Nations. The central section analyzes the first legally binding
regional instrument for the protection of women from violence, the Inter-American Convention on
the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence Against Women (commonly known as
the Belém do Pará Convention). Adopted in 1994, this Convention has served over the past three
decades as a foundation for shaping national laws and policies in Latin American countries aimed
at preventing violence against women. A separate section of the paper examines the modalities in
which Latin American states have criminalized femicide in their penal legislation, with a focus
on the effectiveness of its implementation in practice. These experiences may serve as guidance
for European countries facing similar challenges in combating femicide. In conclusion, the paper
highlights that femicide occurs within a specific social context and that addressing it is not only a
legal issue, but also a political one. In this regard, a comprehensive strategy is essential, one that
includes legislative reforms, education, institutional cooperation, and international support.
Keywords
femicide; Belém do Pará Convention; Latin-American States; United Nations; MESECVI
Hrčak ID:
347926
URI
Publication date:
31.3.2026.
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