Lawmakers in Colombia have passed a new bill to criminalize femicide, defined as “the killing of a woman by a man because of her gender”. The new law will also lengthen prison sentences for those who attack or murder women and girls. Several other Latin American countries have recently passed similar laws criminalizing femicide and have imposed harsh penalties for such crimes. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos is expected to sign the bill into law
Compiled from: Moloney, Anastasia, Colombia approves femicide law to tackle violence against women, Thomson Reuters Foundation, (June 4, 2015).