The Guardian: Quintana Roo is Mexico’s sunshine state, a booming tourists’ playground which draws record numbers of holiday-makers to its golden beaches, coral reefs, Mayan ruins and all-inclusive package deals.
But in recent weeks, the Caribbean region has been badly shaken by a string of brutal murders of women – which authorities have seemed keen to downplay. Read more.
The MexicoBlog of the Americas Program, a fiscally sponsored program of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), is written by Laura Carlsen. I monitor and analyze international press on Mexico, with a focus on security, immigration, human rights and social movements for peace and justice, from a feminist perspective. And sometimes I simply muse.
Showing posts with label violence against women. Show all posts
Showing posts with label violence against women. Show all posts
Jul 9, 2015
The growing danger to women and girls in central Mexico
AFP: Guadalupe Reyes clings to thoughts of her daughter one day flying a plane, a dream for the 18-year-old girl.
Until the teenager vanished 10 months ago in central Mexico.
Mariana is the latest in a growing number of girls and women who have disappeared, or worse, in the populous State of Mexico, which has become the most dangerous region for women in a country that is all too used to violence. Read more.
Until the teenager vanished 10 months ago in central Mexico.
Mariana is the latest in a growing number of girls and women who have disappeared, or worse, in the populous State of Mexico, which has become the most dangerous region for women in a country that is all too used to violence. Read more.
Apr 7, 2015
Women’s prisons: abuse runs rampant
Mexico News Daily: More than 12,000 women in Mexico live in conditions that are substandard and dangerous, where widespread sexual abuse, inadequate services and outright neglect are a part of everyday life.
Thee women are those housed in 77 of the country’s 102 prisons, and were the subjects of a study released this week by the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH). Read more.
Thee women are those housed in 77 of the country’s 102 prisons, and were the subjects of a study released this week by the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH). Read more.
Aug 15, 2014
Latin American Herald Tribune - Sexism of Authorities Aggravates Violence Against Women Journalists in Mexico
Latin American Herald Tribune: The sexism of Mexican authorities generates impunity and has led to a 300 percent increase in violence against women journalists in just a decade, according to a report presented by an NGO.
In the last few years 86 cases of violence against women journalists were reported, of which 54 percent occurred in 2013, the study by the Communication and Information for Women organization (CIMAC) revealed. Read more.
In the last few years 86 cases of violence against women journalists were reported, of which 54 percent occurred in 2013, the study by the Communication and Information for Women organization (CIMAC) revealed. Read more.
Apr 7, 2014
Why Murders Of Women In This Mexican State Have Gone Up 800 Percent In The Past Few Years
The Huffington Post
By Alissa Scheller
April 7, 2014
A growing number of women are victims of drug-related violence in Mexico. Sexual and gender-based violence against women in the country has a long history marked by lack legal intervention, and more recently, fueled by drug cartels and organized crime. Read more.
By Alissa Scheller
April 7, 2014
A growing number of women are victims of drug-related violence in Mexico. Sexual and gender-based violence against women in the country has a long history marked by lack legal intervention, and more recently, fueled by drug cartels and organized crime. Read more.
Jul 30, 2013
The State of Mexico, the other Ciudad Juarez
El País - Vanguardia
July 21, 2013
Original Americas Program Translation
Mexico – You don’t always learn from your mistakes. A decade ago, Mexico was terrorized with the almost daily appearance of female corpses in Ciudad Juarez.
At that time, the Mexican state was not able to guarantee a woman's right to life, stated the American Court of Human Rights in 2009.
And now, 20 years after the beginning of femicide that has left more than 800 dead in the border city began, Mexico faces a new crisis and it is not Ciudad Juarez in the 90s, but the State of Mexico in 2013.
Civil associations argue that in 2011 and 2012, 563 women were killed in the State of Mexico for the sole reason of being a woman.
This last week is a clear example of the tragedy: the bodies of five young women, all with signs of brutal violence, have appeared in the Valle de Chalco, a town of about 350,000 inhabitants located precisely in the State of Mexico.
A gender violence alert mechanism that was created five years ago has now become a dumb bell. Neither these five dead nor the 563 from the last two years have convinced the National System to Prevent, Treat, Punish and Eradicate Violence to activate it.
This Friday they again refused to implement an alert, which so far remains unused even though the number of deaths in the country increased by 68% between 2007 and 2009, according to UN Women. The figure, for example, tripled in the State of Baja California.
July 21, 2013
Original Americas Program Translation
Mexico – You don’t always learn from your mistakes. A decade ago, Mexico was terrorized with the almost daily appearance of female corpses in Ciudad Juarez.
At that time, the Mexican state was not able to guarantee a woman's right to life, stated the American Court of Human Rights in 2009.
And now, 20 years after the beginning of femicide that has left more than 800 dead in the border city began, Mexico faces a new crisis and it is not Ciudad Juarez in the 90s, but the State of Mexico in 2013.
Civil associations argue that in 2011 and 2012, 563 women were killed in the State of Mexico for the sole reason of being a woman.
This last week is a clear example of the tragedy: the bodies of five young women, all with signs of brutal violence, have appeared in the Valle de Chalco, a town of about 350,000 inhabitants located precisely in the State of Mexico.
A gender violence alert mechanism that was created five years ago has now become a dumb bell. Neither these five dead nor the 563 from the last two years have convinced the National System to Prevent, Treat, Punish and Eradicate Violence to activate it.
This Friday they again refused to implement an alert, which so far remains unused even though the number of deaths in the country increased by 68% between 2007 and 2009, according to UN Women. The figure, for example, tripled in the State of Baja California.
Jul 23, 2013
Femicide increases in the State of Mexico and other states; Amnesty calls for gender alert but the PRI resists
By Sin Embargo
Published July 17, 2013
Original Americas Program Translation
Mexico City, July 17 (Sin Embargo). - Just earlier this month, deputies and senators of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) prevented the First Permanent Commission from issuing an appeal to the Government of the State of Mexico to stop resisting and implement a "gender alert" in the state.
Yesterday, Amnesty International drew attention to this request and asked to include other states like Oaxaca, Guanajuato, and Nuevo Leon. According to the organization, the Federal Government has ignored multiple requests that have been made to make the warning statement, due to the "alarming levels of violence against women."
Daniel Zapico, AI representative in Mexico, said that the refusal of the authorities seemed like an "attempt to minimize a situation that has claimed epidemic dimension."
According to the results of the National Study on Sources, Origins and Factors that produce and reproduce the Violence Against Women, the nine states that show an increasing trend of female homicides are Chiapas, Chihuahua, Mexico City, Durango, Guerrero, Michoacán, Oaxaca, Sinaloa and Sonora.
Published July 17, 2013
Original Americas Program Translation
Mexico City, July 17 (Sin Embargo). - Just earlier this month, deputies and senators of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) prevented the First Permanent Commission from issuing an appeal to the Government of the State of Mexico to stop resisting and implement a "gender alert" in the state.
Yesterday, Amnesty International drew attention to this request and asked to include other states like Oaxaca, Guanajuato, and Nuevo Leon. According to the organization, the Federal Government has ignored multiple requests that have been made to make the warning statement, due to the "alarming levels of violence against women."
Daniel Zapico, AI representative in Mexico, said that the refusal of the authorities seemed like an "attempt to minimize a situation that has claimed epidemic dimension."
According to the results of the National Study on Sources, Origins and Factors that produce and reproduce the Violence Against Women, the nine states that show an increasing trend of female homicides are Chiapas, Chihuahua, Mexico City, Durango, Guerrero, Michoacán, Oaxaca, Sinaloa and Sonora.
Jun 20, 2013
Mexico arrests many over slaying of 11 women
Aljazeera
June 13, 2013
Mexican prosecutors have arrested 12 people in connection with the killings of 11 young women whose skeletal remains were found near the northern border city of Ciudad Juarez early last year.
The suspects include alleged drug dealers, pimps and small store owners.
They allegedly belonged to a gang that forced young women into prostitution and drug dealing and then killed them when they were "no longer of use," the prosecutors' office for the northern state of Chihuahua, said in a statement late on Tuesday.
The 10 men and two women face charges of human trafficking and homicide.
Six were already in local jails for other offenses, and six other were detained early on Tuesday.
Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas, was the scene of a series of killings of more than 100 women beginning in 1993. Read more.
June 13, 2013
Mexican prosecutors have arrested 12 people in connection with the killings of 11 young women whose skeletal remains were found near the northern border city of Ciudad Juarez early last year.
The suspects include alleged drug dealers, pimps and small store owners.
They allegedly belonged to a gang that forced young women into prostitution and drug dealing and then killed them when they were "no longer of use," the prosecutors' office for the northern state of Chihuahua, said in a statement late on Tuesday.
The 10 men and two women face charges of human trafficking and homicide.
Six were already in local jails for other offenses, and six other were detained early on Tuesday.
Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas, was the scene of a series of killings of more than 100 women beginning in 1993. Read more.
Jun 13, 2013
Mexico arrests 12 in prostitution ring in connection with women’s border slayings
Washington Post
Associated Press, Published: June 12
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico — Mexican prosecutors have arrested 12 people in connection with the slayings of 11 young women whose skeletal remains were found near the northern border city of Ciudad Juarez early last year.
The suspects include alleged drug dealers, pimps and small store owners. They allegedly belonged to a gang that forced young women into prostitution and drug dealing and then killed them when they were “no longer of use,” the prosecutors’ office for the northern state of Chihuahua said in a statement late Tuesday. The 10 men and two women face charges of human trafficking and homicide. Six were already in local jails for other offenses, and six other were detained early Tuesday. Read more.
Associated Press, Published: June 12
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico — Mexican prosecutors have arrested 12 people in connection with the slayings of 11 young women whose skeletal remains were found near the northern border city of Ciudad Juarez early last year.
The suspects include alleged drug dealers, pimps and small store owners. They allegedly belonged to a gang that forced young women into prostitution and drug dealing and then killed them when they were “no longer of use,” the prosecutors’ office for the northern state of Chihuahua said in a statement late Tuesday. The 10 men and two women face charges of human trafficking and homicide. Six were already in local jails for other offenses, and six other were detained early Tuesday. Read more.
Feb 22, 2013
Indigenous Women In Mexico Call For An End To Domestic Violence
The Huffington Post
By Hirania Luzardo
February 22, 2013
A group of indigenous rarámuri women in Sierra Tarahumara, north of Mexico, have launched a campaign to stop the increasing violence they face daily, which in many cases is culturally accepted in their communities and involves physical, verbal, psychological and sexual aggression.
They are known as "las multiplicadoras" ("the multipliers") and their mission is to raise consciousness by educating men and women from the mountains of Chihuahua to reverse the pattern of abuse, program coordinator Vianney Salas said in an interview with Univision’s “Primer Impacto.”
"They come out different," Salas said. "They come out of this program understanding the right to have a life free of violence."
According to various studies, it is estimated that 90 percent of women in these communities have suffered some form of violence.
"I thought it was normal to be worth less than men," an indigenous woman said on the Univisión show. "I understand now that I have rights." Read more.
By Hirania Luzardo
February 22, 2013
A group of indigenous rarámuri women in Sierra Tarahumara, north of Mexico, have launched a campaign to stop the increasing violence they face daily, which in many cases is culturally accepted in their communities and involves physical, verbal, psychological and sexual aggression.
They are known as "las multiplicadoras" ("the multipliers") and their mission is to raise consciousness by educating men and women from the mountains of Chihuahua to reverse the pattern of abuse, program coordinator Vianney Salas said in an interview with Univision’s “Primer Impacto.”
"They come out different," Salas said. "They come out of this program understanding the right to have a life free of violence."
According to various studies, it is estimated that 90 percent of women in these communities have suffered some form of violence.
"I thought it was normal to be worth less than men," an indigenous woman said on the Univisión show. "I understand now that I have rights." Read more.
Feb 14, 2013
3rd National Meeting Of Women Human Rights Defenders: Public Statement
National Network of Women Human Rights Defenders*
January 30, 2013
On the 25th and 26th of January, the National Network of Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs) convened a meeting of more than 60 indigenous, rural and mestiza WHRDs. Dedicated to the defense and promotion of the human rights of women, they gathered from diverse regions of the country for the Third National Meeting of Women Human Rights Defenders.
Together we recalled that to date in Mexico there have been more than 70 000 assassinated, 20 000 disappeared, more than 250 000 displaced, and that up to five women are assassinated daily. We also remembered the past election, marked by unlawfulness, a lack of legitimacy, and the repression of protesters on December 1, 2012. Far from respecting and protecting our human rights, security forces at the state and federal level continue to be involved in acts of corruption, impunity, authoritarianism, and state terrorism.
This violent reality has cost at least 25 WHRDs their lives, among them 8 journalists. Mexico’s rate of death threats to WHRDs is the second highest in the Americas, exceeded only by Colombia, according to the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders.
January 30, 2013
On the 25th and 26th of January, the National Network of Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs) convened a meeting of more than 60 indigenous, rural and mestiza WHRDs. Dedicated to the defense and promotion of the human rights of women, they gathered from diverse regions of the country for the Third National Meeting of Women Human Rights Defenders.
Together we recalled that to date in Mexico there have been more than 70 000 assassinated, 20 000 disappeared, more than 250 000 displaced, and that up to five women are assassinated daily. We also remembered the past election, marked by unlawfulness, a lack of legitimacy, and the repression of protesters on December 1, 2012. Far from respecting and protecting our human rights, security forces at the state and federal level continue to be involved in acts of corruption, impunity, authoritarianism, and state terrorism.
This violent reality has cost at least 25 WHRDs their lives, among them 8 journalists. Mexico’s rate of death threats to WHRDs is the second highest in the Americas, exceeded only by Colombia, according to the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders.
Nov 11, 2012
Chihuahua campaign begins to find 118 missing Juárez women
By Lorena Figueroa \ El Paso Times
November 04, 2012
JUAREZ -- Chihuahua authorities last week launched a statewide campaign to locate 118 women from Juárez who have disappeared since 1995.
The campaign offers an $8,000 reward to anyone whose information helps find the women, dead or alive, said officials with the Chihuahua Attorney General's Office.
Silvia Nájera, spokeswoman for the state's Special Prosecution Office for Crimes Against Women, said the strategy attempts to get the public involved in solving some of these cases.
Since the early 1990s, hundreds of women, mostly teenage girls -- some as young as 13 -- from poor and middle-class families, have disappeared in Juárez. Many have been found dead.
Nájera said that the special prosecution office lists 118 cases involving women who disappeared from 1995 to the present. The agency was established in 1995.
"This doesn't mean that we won't be taking any leads on older cases. If we receive information, we will investigate," she said.
The campaign began Tuesday with the publication in various print media outlets in Juárez of the photographs and biographies of six women who were reported missing between 1995 and 1998. Read more.
November 04, 2012
JUAREZ -- Chihuahua authorities last week launched a statewide campaign to locate 118 women from Juárez who have disappeared since 1995.
The campaign offers an $8,000 reward to anyone whose information helps find the women, dead or alive, said officials with the Chihuahua Attorney General's Office.
Silvia Nájera, spokeswoman for the state's Special Prosecution Office for Crimes Against Women, said the strategy attempts to get the public involved in solving some of these cases.
Since the early 1990s, hundreds of women, mostly teenage girls -- some as young as 13 -- from poor and middle-class families, have disappeared in Juárez. Many have been found dead.
Nájera said that the special prosecution office lists 118 cases involving women who disappeared from 1995 to the present. The agency was established in 1995.
"This doesn't mean that we won't be taking any leads on older cases. If we receive information, we will investigate," she said.
The campaign began Tuesday with the publication in various print media outlets in Juárez of the photographs and biographies of six women who were reported missing between 1995 and 1998. Read more.
Oct 17, 2012
Time to End Impunity in Mexico
Huffington Post, The Blog: October 17, 2012
Valentina Rosendo was just 17 years old when she was raped by members of the Mexican Army in February 2002 near her home in the Mexican state of Guerrero. A month later, Inés Fernández was raped by soldiers in a nearby community in the same state. Although the women reported the rapes, civilian and military authorities never carried out a full and transparent investigation of the crimes. Ten years later, Valentina and Inés are still waiting for justice.
In December 2009, Shohn Huckabee and Carlos Quijos were arrested by members of the Mexican army in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua state, near the border Mexico shares with the United States. According to Shohn Huckabee, soldiers reportedly planted drugs in their vehicle and took them to a military barracks where they were beaten, given electric shocks and subjected to mock executions in order to obtain information on their supposed links to drug gangs. But the Mexican government never held anyone accountable for the alleged mistreatment of Shohn and Carlos.
These separate incidents are illustrative of a human rights and public security crisis that continues to plague many regions of Mexico. While this situation predates President Felipe Calderón's administration, it has grown more acute on his watch. The next president, Enrique Peña Nieto, will inherit an unenviable security challenge. He has pledged to address it, but he should do so in a way consistent with rule of law and while respecting the basic human dignity of every person in Mexico. Read more.
Valentina Rosendo was just 17 years old when she was raped by members of the Mexican Army in February 2002 near her home in the Mexican state of Guerrero. A month later, Inés Fernández was raped by soldiers in a nearby community in the same state. Although the women reported the rapes, civilian and military authorities never carried out a full and transparent investigation of the crimes. Ten years later, Valentina and Inés are still waiting for justice.
In December 2009, Shohn Huckabee and Carlos Quijos were arrested by members of the Mexican army in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua state, near the border Mexico shares with the United States. According to Shohn Huckabee, soldiers reportedly planted drugs in their vehicle and took them to a military barracks where they were beaten, given electric shocks and subjected to mock executions in order to obtain information on their supposed links to drug gangs. But the Mexican government never held anyone accountable for the alleged mistreatment of Shohn and Carlos.
These separate incidents are illustrative of a human rights and public security crisis that continues to plague many regions of Mexico. While this situation predates President Felipe Calderón's administration, it has grown more acute on his watch. The next president, Enrique Peña Nieto, will inherit an unenviable security challenge. He has pledged to address it, but he should do so in a way consistent with rule of law and while respecting the basic human dignity of every person in Mexico. Read more.
Oct 10, 2012
Doubts Raised About the Alleged Assassin of Marisela Escobedo
As readers of the Americas MexicoBlog and the Americas Updater know, we have been closely following the case of Marisela Escobedo. Mother of Rubí, who was brutally murdered in 2008, Marisela became a human rights defender, seeking justice for her daughter's murder, tirelessly knocking on government doors and even investigating (and resolving) the case herself. The assassin escaped after confessing. Protesting in front of the Chihuahua state offices, Marisela herself was shot dead.
On October 8, the Chihuahua government announced that it had captured the assassin of Marisela, who confessed to authorities. José Enrique Jiménez, ("El Wicked") told the press that he shot Escobedo on orders from the Zetas. He said Sergio Barraza, who murdered Rubí, was a member of the Zetas and Escobedo's very public mission to bring him to justice upset the nation's most ruthless organized crime group.
But human rights organizations have their doubts regarding the resolution of the crime. Luz Esthela Castro, Escobedo's attorney noted in Reforma (Oct. 9, 2012) that the government already "solved" the case, announcing in December 2011 it stated that investigations had established the guilt of Hector Flores, a decesased crime figure. But videos of the crime show only one shooter.
Castro also noted that the latest alleged assassin used unusual legal terms in his confession, implying he had been coached. The governor of Chihuahua, Cesar Duarte, reacted angrily to the doubts raised by human rights organizations.
"Whoever doubts, is simply adding elements to try to make sure that things are not resolved," he told Reforma.
The murders of Marisela Escobedo and her daughter Rubí are on a short list of crimes against women presented to the Federal Attorney General's Office (PGR) by an international delegation of women human rights defenders and journalists led by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Jody Williams. These crimes were identified as priorities for the gravity of the crimes and as a signal that the Mexican government was serious about investigating and prosecuting crimes of violence against women.
Everyone wants to see this brutal assassin behind bars--that's why as the Mexico host committee and the delegation we included the case on the list of priorities. But there has been a recent spate of captures and cases being closed in the final days of the Calderón government that are surrounded
For more information on Marisela Escobedo's case and the demand to the PGR, see the report from the delegation organized by Just Associates and the Nobel Women's Initiative that I had the privilege of being part of here.
After talking with colleagues in JASS and others about the recent developments in this important case, the concern is, first, that we could be seeing another case of scapegoats presented to deflect public pressure and criticism.
Second, if this is the assassin, the problem remains that the men who hired him and Sergio Barraza who killed Rubí are still at large. The justice system that repeatedly failed to prosecute and then imprison the guilty is still deeply flawed. And the public safety system that stood by as a woman human rights defender was shot practically on the steps of the state building still cannot guarantee women's safety.
On October 8, the Chihuahua government announced that it had captured the assassin of Marisela, who confessed to authorities. José Enrique Jiménez, ("El Wicked") told the press that he shot Escobedo on orders from the Zetas. He said Sergio Barraza, who murdered Rubí, was a member of the Zetas and Escobedo's very public mission to bring him to justice upset the nation's most ruthless organized crime group.
But human rights organizations have their doubts regarding the resolution of the crime. Luz Esthela Castro, Escobedo's attorney noted in Reforma (Oct. 9, 2012) that the government already "solved" the case, announcing in December 2011 it stated that investigations had established the guilt of Hector Flores, a decesased crime figure. But videos of the crime show only one shooter.
Castro also noted that the latest alleged assassin used unusual legal terms in his confession, implying he had been coached. The governor of Chihuahua, Cesar Duarte, reacted angrily to the doubts raised by human rights organizations.
"Whoever doubts, is simply adding elements to try to make sure that things are not resolved," he told Reforma.
The murders of Marisela Escobedo and her daughter Rubí are on a short list of crimes against women presented to the Federal Attorney General's Office (PGR) by an international delegation of women human rights defenders and journalists led by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Jody Williams. These crimes were identified as priorities for the gravity of the crimes and as a signal that the Mexican government was serious about investigating and prosecuting crimes of violence against women.
Everyone wants to see this brutal assassin behind bars--that's why as the Mexico host committee and the delegation we included the case on the list of priorities. But there has been a recent spate of captures and cases being closed in the final days of the Calderón government that are surrounded
For more information on Marisela Escobedo's case and the demand to the PGR, see the report from the delegation organized by Just Associates and the Nobel Women's Initiative that I had the privilege of being part of here.
After talking with colleagues in JASS and others about the recent developments in this important case, the concern is, first, that we could be seeing another case of scapegoats presented to deflect public pressure and criticism.
Second, if this is the assassin, the problem remains that the men who hired him and Sergio Barraza who killed Rubí are still at large. The justice system that repeatedly failed to prosecute and then imprison the guilty is still deeply flawed. And the public safety system that stood by as a woman human rights defender was shot practically on the steps of the state building still cannot guarantee women's safety.
Sep 21, 2012
Ciudad Juarez Launches Aggressive Campaign For Female Crime Victims
Fox News Latino, by Joseph Kolb
Published September 19, 2012
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico – In a small room at the Fiscalía Especializada en Atención a Mujeres Víctimas por Razones de Género, Bernardo Manzano stood pensively with his hands cuffed behind his back, while two police officers stood on either side of him as he was photographed and questioned by more than a dozen reporters.
Not a drug dealer this time. The 43-year-old maquiladora worker was about to be charged with sexually assaulting his wife.
Parading suspects accused of committing crimes against women in front of the media have become increasingly common here, in the wake of a combined and aggressive campaign by Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua state to curb these kind of offenses.
A 20-year legacy of crimes against women, especially the well-publicized killing of women in the late 1990s – popularly known as ‘femicides’-- has given this border city international notoriety.
The new prosecutor's office, which opened in March, deals exclusively with crimes against women but is not limited to legal matters. The modern three-story building houses a one-stop service center that includes special prosecutors and investigators, but also provides child care, medical, counseling and financial support services. In the coming months it will also provide temporary shelter for women and children facing domestic violence.
"Crimes against women are not going down, but now we have better collaboration with the municipal, state and federal police, as well as the forensic lab," said Silvia Najera, spokeswoman for the agency. Read more.
Published September 19, 2012
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico – In a small room at the Fiscalía Especializada en Atención a Mujeres Víctimas por Razones de Género, Bernardo Manzano stood pensively with his hands cuffed behind his back, while two police officers stood on either side of him as he was photographed and questioned by more than a dozen reporters.
Not a drug dealer this time. The 43-year-old maquiladora worker was about to be charged with sexually assaulting his wife.
Parading suspects accused of committing crimes against women in front of the media have become increasingly common here, in the wake of a combined and aggressive campaign by Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua state to curb these kind of offenses.
A 20-year legacy of crimes against women, especially the well-publicized killing of women in the late 1990s – popularly known as ‘femicides’-- has given this border city international notoriety.
The new prosecutor's office, which opened in March, deals exclusively with crimes against women but is not limited to legal matters. The modern three-story building houses a one-stop service center that includes special prosecutors and investigators, but also provides child care, medical, counseling and financial support services. In the coming months it will also provide temporary shelter for women and children facing domestic violence.
"Crimes against women are not going down, but now we have better collaboration with the municipal, state and federal police, as well as the forensic lab," said Silvia Najera, spokeswoman for the agency. Read more.
Aug 24, 2012
Seeking justice for Mexico state's female victims
Los Angeles Times: Hundreds of women and girls are killed every year in Mexico state, known as Edomex. One woman who lost her daughter, 14, puts her life at risk to press her case.
By Tracy Wilkinson. ECATEPEC, Mexico — At 14, Jessica Lucero had already lived a hard life. A stint in rehab, dropping out of school, making her way, day in, day out, in a terribly violent, desperately poor neighborhood.
But things were looking up. She had stayed clean and was planning to resume studies. She dreamed of becoming a forensic pathologist.
Then, in June, Jessica was raped by a man she later identified as a notorious neighbor, a known drug pusher. Jessica's reaction was to do something that few people twice her age have ever dared. She went to the authorities and denounced the crime.
Not 30 days later, she was killed, beaten to death with a small boulder. The force of the blow was so strong that her skull left a dint in the ground that would remain for days. Read more.
By Tracy Wilkinson. ECATEPEC, Mexico — At 14, Jessica Lucero had already lived a hard life. A stint in rehab, dropping out of school, making her way, day in, day out, in a terribly violent, desperately poor neighborhood.
But things were looking up. She had stayed clean and was planning to resume studies. She dreamed of becoming a forensic pathologist.
Then, in June, Jessica was raped by a man she later identified as a notorious neighbor, a known drug pusher. Jessica's reaction was to do something that few people twice her age have ever dared. She went to the authorities and denounced the crime.
Not 30 days later, she was killed, beaten to death with a small boulder. The force of the blow was so strong that her skull left a dint in the ground that would remain for days. Read more.
Jul 21, 2012
Graphic interview of alleged rapists angers Mexico
AP: Adriana Gomez Licon. The families of women and girls sexually assaulted on a church camp-out near Mexico City expressed anger Thursday after television stations broadcast a video of police posing highly graphic questions to suspects arrested in the crime.
Christian Youth Movement spokeswoman Aletia Santoscoy asked the media to stop playing the interrogation because it was affecting the girls' emotional recovery. Read more.
Christian Youth Movement spokeswoman Aletia Santoscoy asked the media to stop playing the interrogation because it was affecting the girls' emotional recovery. Read more.
Jul 20, 2012
17 held in attack, rapes on church camp in Mexico
AP: TOLUCA, Mexico — Police arrested 17 men Wednesday on suspicion of attacking youths and raping five women and girls who were on a church camping trip outside Mexico City, a brutal assault that shocked much of the country.
The attorney general for the State of Mexico, Alfredo Castillo, said 11 of the gang members were identified by some of the victims. In interrogation videos played for reporters, three of the suspects confessed that they sexually abused the women and girls because fellow attackers told them to.
Two of the suspects were local police officers and another had served in the military, Castillo said, speaking two days after authorities announced the arrest of a man who was described as not directly involved in the assault on the camp-out but who allegedly provided information to the assailants. Read more.
The attorney general for the State of Mexico, Alfredo Castillo, said 11 of the gang members were identified by some of the victims. In interrogation videos played for reporters, three of the suspects confessed that they sexually abused the women and girls because fellow attackers told them to.
Two of the suspects were local police officers and another had served in the military, Castillo said, speaking two days after authorities announced the arrest of a man who was described as not directly involved in the assault on the camp-out but who allegedly provided information to the assailants. Read more.
Jul 17, 2012
Mexican Women Human Rights Defenders Testify Before UN Committee against Discrimination
Dear Readers,
The following is a press release on Mexican civil society testimony before the Committee of the Convention on
the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The testimony presented by Margarita Martinez and human rights organizations reported widespread violations of women's rights, a lack of compliance with recommendations issued on extremely cases such as the rape of women in police custody in Atenco, and no real follow-up on obtaining justice for crimes against women.
You can hear more about the increase of violence and discrimination in the context of the drug war and Martinez's case in this NPR interview: (listen, transcript) The BBC published an interesting article on the testimony, comparing it to the Mexican government's official testimony, which emphasizes legal and institutional reforms and omits information on specific cases or advances. The Americas Program MexicoBlog has translated an article in Spanish by Lydia Cacho, who has personally suffered attacks for her work as a journalists and human rights defender.
Watch this blog and the Americas Program web page for more information. For the full reports from Mexico presented to the Committee, check this link.
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS AND
JOURNALISTS IN MEXICO: TESTIMONY BEFORE
THE 52ND SESSION OF THE CEDAW COMMITTEE IN NEW YORK
July 17, 2012
·
The human rights defender
Margarita Martínez reports on the situation of violence against women human
rights defenders and journalists in Mexico before the CEDAW Committee.
·
Martínez has been tortured and
repeatedly attacked for her work, and
despite protective measures mandated by the Inter-American Human Rights
Commission, continuous threats have forced her family to flee Chiapas.
·
In Latin America, Mexico has
the highest number of attacks against journalists and the second highest number
against women human rights defenders.
Between 2005 and 2012, violence against
women in Mexico has cost the lives of 13 female journalists. In the past two
years alone, 14 women human rights defenders have been killed.
Margarita Martínez, a Mexican human rights
defender who has been tortured and attacked for her work, will make a
presentation about the situation of violence against women human rights
defenders and journalists in Mexico before the Committee of the Convention on
the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
In 2009, Martínez began to receive threats
and attacks against her and her family because of her work promoting the human
rights and health of indigenous women in Chiapas. Late that year, her house was
raided and family threatened by state police. In February 2010, she was
kidnapped and tortured by unknown persons so that she would withdraw criminal
charges she filed against public officials of the Government of Chiapas
responsible for the attack.
Given the threat to her and her family’s
lives, the Inter-American Human Rights Commission granted precautionary
measures to guarantee effective protection. The Mexican government has not
adequately implemented these measures and Martinez continues to receive
threats. To date, the intellectual and material authors of the crime have not
been punished and the threats continue.
Martinez is presenting her case and the
crisis situation in her country, in representation of human right organizations
including the National Network of Women Human Rights Defenders of Mexico, the
Mesoamerican Initiative of Women Human Rights Defenders, CIMAC, Consorcio
Oaxaca, the Women’s Roundtable of Juárez, Tlachinollan-HR and JASS (Just
Associates). She is available for interviews.
In Mexico state, violence against women has surged
latimes.com: A brutal attack on a church group points to the growing dangers in the state, which until last fall was governed by Enrique Peña Nieto, Mexico's next president.
MEXICO CITY — For hours, gunmen held captive a church group camping on a spiritual retreat.
They raped girls and beat boys. They stole their cellphones. Finally the gunmen left; the youths wrapped themselves in blankets and walked five miles to find help.
The attack late last week outside Mexico City illustrates the mounting dangers — especially violence targeting women — in the Mexican state that until last year was governed by the man who will be the nation's next president.
The state of Mexico, which surrounds Mexico City on three sides, has seen an "alarming" surge in the number of murders and rapes of women, according to several human rights organizations. Much of that increase occurred during the governorship of Enrique Peña Nieto, whose six-year term ended last fall before he went on to win this month's presidential election. Read more.
MEXICO CITY — For hours, gunmen held captive a church group camping on a spiritual retreat.
They raped girls and beat boys. They stole their cellphones. Finally the gunmen left; the youths wrapped themselves in blankets and walked five miles to find help.
The attack late last week outside Mexico City illustrates the mounting dangers — especially violence targeting women — in the Mexican state that until last year was governed by the man who will be the nation's next president.
The state of Mexico, which surrounds Mexico City on three sides, has seen an "alarming" surge in the number of murders and rapes of women, according to several human rights organizations. Much of that increase occurred during the governorship of Enrique Peña Nieto, whose six-year term ended last fall before he went on to win this month's presidential election. Read more.
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