As a star of Uganda’s long-distance operating scene, Rebecca Cheptegei competed this summer time within the Paris Olympics, ending the marathon in forty fourth place. Lower than a month after the closing ceremonies, Cheptegei made headlines once more in September, not for her unbelievable athleticism, however as a result of her ex-boyfriend had doused her in gasoline and set her on fireplace following a property dispute. Cheptegei, who suffered burns to 80 p.c of her physique, died from her accidents just some days later.
Her homicide has sparked renewed dialog about femicide, outlined as “the intentional killing of ladies and women due to their gender,” and the way finest to counter it. The hassle to present a reputation to the mortal threats that ladies face just because they’re ladies is admirable. However the best way during which the time period “femicide” is presently used can do extra hurt than good, as it’s imprecise and may distance analysts and policymakers from partaking with probably the most prevalent threats to ladies’s lives.
Focusing extra on the particular situations and relationships that make ladies weak to homicide, moderately than attempting to grasp whether or not the perpetrator’s motivations render a homicide a femicide, can present a clearer path towards lowering the variety of ladies who, like Cheptegei, have their lives minimize quick by deadly violence.
