Women Resisting Violence is an illuminating and powerful account of the ways in which women and girls encounter violence and the bold initiatives they are developing to respond to it. Across Latin America, the number of femicides has grown at an alarming rate, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Alongside has come a dramatic increase in domestic violence; loud demands over domestic workers’ rights; increased suffering from and fierce resistance to land-grabbing; increased urban violence; violent discrimination against migrants; and the relentless growth of state control over women’s reproductive rights. In Women Resisting Violence, case studies and interviews with women leaders from Latin America highlight the multiple and intersecting forms of gendered violence – where race, ethnicity, sexuality, and socio-economic status, and other markers combine to identify, discriminate against, and target women. Collecting a chain of voices, we focus on these women’s inspirational strategies for transforming their communities and influencing international laws. Their testimonies underline the importance of culture, commemoration, and the arts in consolidating and amplifying active resistance. Women’s voices are loud and clear: gendered and intersectional violence is rampant in Latin America. But women are pushing back. As the Mexican proverb boldly states, '‘They wanted to bury us, but they didn’t know we were seeds.’

WRV Collective: Jelke Boesten is a professor of Gender and Development at the Department of International Development, King’s College London. Andrea Espinoza is a feminist researcher focused on women’s and Indigenous people’s rights in Latin America, particularly in Ecuador and the Andean region. Cathy McIlwaine is a professor of Geography at King’s College London. Louise Morris is a journalist and audio producer who’s made podcasts, radio, and audiobooks for BBC Radio 4, NPR, Audible, Pottermore and the BBC World Service. Patricia Muñoz Cabrera (PhD) is an international research consultant and trainer on gender and intersectionality in development policies. Moniza Rizzini Ansari is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, School of Law. Marilyn Thomson is an independent gender consultant working on issues such as the rights of migrant and refugee women, violence against women and girls, and the care economy. Rebecca Wilson is Managing Editor at Latin America Bureau.

‘This highly accessible book is concerned with one of the most important issues in Latin America today and in the future – violence against women. Its uniqueness relates to its focus on women's resistance to violence, rather than women as victims of violence. In a context where diversity is key, it emphasises the intersectional dimensions of women’s experiences. The text is accompanied by useful boxes, figures and podcast links. Women Resisting Violence will be core reading for policy-makers, researchers and students alike.’
Caroline Moser, Emeritus Professor, University of Manchester; Honorary Professor, UCL

‘Women Resisting Violence is a unique exploration of the different ways that women are resisting gendered violence. The book uses a powerful combination of different resistance strategies across a range of contexts – [it] provides an excellent insight into gender and intersectionality including an analysis of the impact of VAWG on women in all their diversity. [Including] fascinating examples of the different ways in which VAWG has disproportionate impacts on Indigenous women, Black women, women from urban and rural locations, migrants, and persons from LGBTQ+ groups.’
Dr Erika McAslan Fraser, Ending Violence against Women and Children Helpdesk

‘Latin America is the continent with the highest VAWG rates but, at the same time, with a tremendous power of multiple resistances. This book demonstrates, once again, the significance of the bonds of sisterhood between academic feminists and indigenous feminists proposing creative forms of resistance and theorizing from the South. As the song says: “they sowed fear in us, we grew wings…’
Rocío Silva Santisteban, Peruvian poet, feminist activist, scholar, and former member of Congress

‘The struggle of Latin American organizations to combat gender-based violence is a heroic story. This book is a superb summary of grassroots efforts and is key to understanding how to take the ideals of equality and convert them into policy and action.
An excellent read that allows you to learn about the difficulties, passion and experiences of thousands of activists in Latin America. Wherever you might live, study or practice, many of these challenges will also resonate with your own.’
Pamela Zaballa, CEO at NO MORE

‘The state doesn’t protect me, my friends do.’ This book shows very comprehensively how this slogan chanted by Latin American women in protests across the continent is put into practice. From cities, to rural areas, in homes, intimate spaces and even through their own bodies, we see how women who are neglected by the state get together to protect each other from different types of intersectional gendered violence.
Their actions include mass pro-choice and anti-femicide mobilizations, protecting indigenous lands and nature, using art to fight for social change, creating women’s houses and apps to make cities safer, and campaigning for migrants and domestic workers. These are acts of resistance with which women confront systemic violence and create a better and safer world for us all – something that’s especially important due to the increased inequalities caused by COVID-19.
We should all read this book to remember how strong the enemy is and to join the fight from our own position and possibilities (wherever we may be and to the best of our abilities). As we read here, everything counts, even waiting to receive a message when your friend gets home.’
Catalina May, Las Raras podcast

Women Resisting Violence Collective

The WRV Collective reflects the feminist and collaborative decision-making processes underpinning the project and the writing of this book.