Family Activism by Victims of Organized Crime

Family activism by victims of organized crime is a form of social and political contentious action which refers to the broad range of activities undertaken by relatives of victims of criminal organizations. Although scholars traditionally associated with the political opportunity approach admit that even adverse contextual conditions – or threats – can originate social movements, family activism in the organized crime context is not adequately addressed within social movements literature. In some countries, such as Mexico and Italy, the mobilizations of relatives of organized crime’s victims represent the prominent form of resistance against criminal power and state collusion and boast some notable peculiarities.