Gender Violence and Security in the Interoceanic Industrial Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec: A Critical Examination of Policies and Practices

Project description

Policy and practice of gender-based violence

Women are still at higher risk than men of being victims of gender-based violence. Women’s security is one of five priority areas of the European Commission in its 2016-2019 strategy for gender equality. The EU-funded VDGSEGUR project will provide new insight into the gaps in victim services and the specific measures that can diminish individual vulnerability and prevent re-victimisation. The project will focus on the conflicting dynamics of organised crime and local security resources in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Mexico – a country that recently launched a prevention strategy. An intersectional analysis will help in developing sustainable security and crime prevention measures.

Objective

VDGSEGUR explores the ways in which dynamics of organised crime and securitised local resource conflicts together impact on the insecurity and violence that women experience in the interoceanic industrial corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Focusing on the protection of women from the risk of becoming a victim of violent crime, VDGSEGUR examines the co-production of security through state, corporate and community actors. It scrutinises how different community actors respond to gendered forms of insecurity, paying particular attention to citizen-led security efforts, or “security from below”. Specific objectives are (1) to scrutinise how the dynamics of resource conflicts and organised crime impact on the insecurity that women experience in the region; (2) to investigate the state security interventions in the states of Veracruz and Oaxaca with a focus on the impacts of the Gender Violence Alerts; (3) to assess how community security measures contribute to constructing effective mechanisms to generate sustained security for women; (4) analyse the relationships between different security actors (state, corporate, community/citizen); (5) assess how law enforcement efforts, crime prevention measures and state victim service provision impact on the security perception of victim relatives. The study’s methodology is based on a participatory “security from below” approach, which, departing from agreed norms and shared values, and the contextualised needs of particular communities, aims to contribute to democratising security provision. An intersectional analysis, will allow conclusions regarding sustainable security measures and crime prevention in the Isthmus corridor, broken down according the factors of race, ethnicity and class. The findings will allow insights into what specific measures could diminish individual vulnerability and prevent re-victimisation, as well as reveal possible gaps in victim services, helping to improve them in the future.

Fields of science

Programme(s)

Topic(s)

MSCA-IF-2018 - Individual Fellowships

Call for proposal

H2020-MSCA-IF-2018

See other projects for this call

Funding Scheme

MSCA-IF-GF - Global Fellowships

Coordinator

LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL SCIENCE

Net EU contribution

€ 234 254,40

Address

Houghton street 1
WC2A 2AE London
United Kingdom

Region

London Inner London — West Westminster

Activity type

Higher or Secondary Education Establishments

Links

Contact the organisation Website

Participation in EU R&I programmes

HORIZON collaboration network

Other funding

€ 0,00

Partners (1)

Partner

CENTRO DE INVESTIGACIONES Y ESTUDIOS SUPERIORES EN ANTROPOLOGIA SOCIAL

Mexico