Violence Against Women In Nicaragua

Nicaragua is a country plagued by several important issues, such as poverty and the lack of sanitation and clean drinking water. However, discrimination against women has become increasingly prevalent in nations of Latin America and has manifested in outright violence against women. In Nicaragua, “femicides,” or the homicides of women at the hands of men, and violence against women are becoming increasingly significant issue as a result of the pervasive culture of “machismo”; the Integral Law Against Violence Against Women, passed in 2012, criminalized violence against women, but has recently been mediated after facing opposition from several groups. Machismo, a deeply ingrained cultural belief of male superiority over women, is a potential

Law 779 was opposed by conservative, religious and men’s groups that argued that the law discriminated against men and caused families to break up (Konczal). There was no budget allotted for the implementation of the law (“Rapporteur for Women's Rights Visits Nicaragua”), limiting the enforcement of the law and putting the government of Nicaragua’s dedication to resolving gender violence in

With these changes implemented, crimes that have penalties of less than five years include domestic violence when the injuries are “light,” psychological violence, sexual harassment, and assault at home or in the workplace (Moloney). These lenient, insufficient penalties indicate a lack of seriousness on the part of the Nicaraguan government to end the prevalence of violence against women. Furthermore, they also indicate that gender violence is not viewed as a crime worthy of a large prison sentences. In addition, after groups that opposed the law lobbied the government, the Nicaraguan government changed its strict stance on the prohibition of mediation. The changes force women to confront their abusers and leave them in a vulnerable position of having to resolve issues that stem from a deep-seated cultural belief (Schechter). In the United States and Europe, mediation is not used when there has been a history of violence in the home (Moloney), indicating that the possibility of continue abuse is still likely and victims are still in