Indigenous feminicide and the global politics answer: the cases of Canada and Brazil

Abstract

This article analyzes the political and legal responses to Indigenous feminicide in the global arena, understanding it as a continuous manifestation of postcolonial violence. Globally, Indigenous women and girls remain among the groups at highest risk of lethality, although the systemic lack of data and criminal under-reporting hinder an exact assessment of the phenomenon's prevalence. To ground these global dynamics, this study adopts Canada and Brazil as comparative case studies. This choice is justified because, despite occupying distinct geopolitical and economic positions in the Global North and South, both nations share a historical foundation of settler colonialism. This heritage perpetuates intersectional vulnerability through land expropriation, marginalization, and evident State complicity and impunity. It intersects decolonial feminist perspectives, ranging from the debate on "colonial femicide" and police negligence in Canada to the consolidation of the concept as a State crime in Brazil. The article concludes that tackling this epidemic requires a coordinated response in international relations that recognizes and integrates Indigenous struggles for self-determination and sovereignty.