The publication is a result of a March 2011 meeting held in Buenos Aires to debate the desirability of adopting femicide-specific penal laws. The report contains records of the debate and input from a Working Group consisting of jurists from different countries, including Carmen Anthony (Chile), Juliet Montano (Bolivia), Guadalupe Ramos (Mexico), and Rocio Villanueva (Peru).
The report discusses the possibility of penal mechanisms specific to femicide that would address and draw attention to the unique context in which these crimes occur while identifying concerns about whether creating a new crime or increasing penalties would improve victims’ access to justice, and whether efforts should be focused instead on improving the government’s response to and enforcement of these crimes.