THE ONGOING tragedy of domestic violence in Panama, including femicide, was highlighted on Thursday May 7 when a man killed his wife with several gunshots in Las Glorietas, Las Cumbres.

The reality is stark. In 2014, 25 women were killed. In most cases it was found that the killings were perpetrated by their partners.

It was the 13th domestic violence death so far this year and there were 1,740 non-fatal cases registered between January and February.
Femicide is the murder of women for reasons associated with their gender.
The phenomenon, according to studies, is the most extreme form of gender violence, understood as an act practiced by men for power, domination and control over a woman.
The crime includes murder caused by domestic violence and sexual violence. The senior prosecutor Maruquel Castroverde which specializes in crimes of this nature-states that it often not easy to immediately clarify whether a murder was a femicide.
Law 82 of October 24, 2013 "adopted measures to prevent violence against women,".
It went into effect in December 2013, and six or eight cases of violent deaths of women have been called to trial .
Lawyer Gustavo Perez Bal, of the Community Legal Assistance Foundation (Fundalcom), said that one of the positive aspects of the law is to increase the penalty for the offense for domestic violence cases.
Previously, the sanctions were two to four years in prison, Law 82, raised it to between five to eight years.
Domestic violence has doubled in Panama in the past 10 years, said Marina Perez Cardenas, deputy executive director of Fundalcom.
He said that about 20 000 reports of domestic violence are reported each year, which equals about 60 reports a day.
In Panama, the culture of violence is real," says psychologist Jesús López. "We have in our genetic programming that violence is a good way to to fix any kind of conflict," he said.
"Each 'femicide' generates a kind of revival of these patterns in the violent behavior of men."
Other factors such as the country's prosperity, contribute to domestic violence, says the Ministry of Security.
"More prosperity, more leisure time and more money for liquor and drugs, equals violence and cultural issue," it says.