Latin America was recently found to have the highest female murder rate in the world. A number of international organizations presented that there are several factors which led to the high statistics.

According to Mexidata, Latin America had the most female murders worldwide because of organized activities like gang violence and human trafficking, among others. The report showed that seven out of 10 countries with the highest female murder count in the world are in Latin America.

El Salvador is at No. 1 with a female murder rate of 8.9 homicides per 100,000 women in 2012. Colombia is next with 6.3, Guatemala is third with 6.2, followed by Russia with 5.3, and Brazil with 4.8. Mexico and Suriname are the other two Latin American countries that made the list.

InSight Crime reported that organized crime is a huge contributor to how women are being victimized in Latin America. Thelma Aldana, Attorney General of Guatemala said that half of the 854 women killed in the country in 2015 were murdered due to organized crime.

General violence, human trafficking and domestic abuse are also factors that victimize women. Human trafficking usually involves females from 18 to 28 years old, and the numbers continue to rise. Many women from the region and other areas are tricked into entering the sex trade where they may be tortured, raped or murdered.

Amado Philip de Andres, Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Regional Office for Central America and the Caribbean, stated that the femicide rate in human trafficking cases is very high, especially for purposes of sexual exploitation, comprising about 91 to 92 percent of cases.

De Andres added that the victimization of women never ends, because even if they may escape or are rescued, they may be murdered by organized crime members or later on return to the trade, due to sufficient job opportunities and attention.

Mexidata also revealed that gang violence is another major factor that leads to Latin America having the highest female murder stats in the world. Many women are deemed to be the property of gang members. Women are usually during gang wars, where opposing groups target mothers, sisters, wives and girlfriends. Women who are actual members of a crime group are also vulnerable to being murdered.

De Andres stated that there is still inadequate prevention and prosecution to stop the very high murder rates of women. It is important to raise awareness about the issues that contribute to the statistics.