Femicide remains a critical and widespread issue, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean, where many countries have some of the highest femicide rates globally. Violence against women aged fifteen to forty-four is the leading cause of death, surpassing cancer, malaria, accidents, and war.

The novel Life is a Sexually Transmittable Disease (2014) by Wilfredo Mattos Cintron highlights the brutal realities faced by enslaved immigrant women, portraying their bodies as sites of male dominance, violence, and subjugation. The work exposes the systemic suffering of women—including rape, kidnapping, beatings, femicide, and denial of human rights—and critiques how patriarchy, globalization, and capitalism commodify women’s bodies within oppressive structures.