Security in Mexico from a woman perspective
Modern Diplomacy
Each year on March 8th, the International Women’s Day is commemorated, however in different parts of the globe the fight for women’s right takes different faces. In Latin America the discourse has boiled over security issues; how safe is it being a woman in these countries? In Mexico doing everyday life activities such as going to work, riding the bus, taking a stroll, or even just hanging out of the house at night have become a situation of life or death. Last year alone in Mexico 3,462 woman where victims of feminicide. This amount represents an increase of 4% since 2020 with 10 to 12 women brutally murdered per day based solely on their gender. The issue of feminicide is becoming increasingly harder to obviate by the president due to the ever-increasing numbers per year.
Instead of implementing effective public policies that deal with the fact that Mexico has become one of the most dangerous countries for women to live in, the president has gone into what might seem to be an anti-feminism, anti-women campaign. On several occasions Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has mentioned that feminism is just part of neoliberal tactics made to distract from government corruption and theft. Likewise, he has declared repeatedly that Mexican feminist activists want to damage his government, therefore they exaggerate.
Most countries struggle with gender equality and guaranteeing women rights and diminishing disadvantages, Mexico is not an exception to this rule but when one adds security to the mix is rather alarming. Looking at it from another perspective, not all women encounter feminicide, regardless almost all women have felt unsafe due to gender violence; catcalling, stalking, sexual assault, rape, sex trafficking, prostitution, sexual harassment, beyond others. In Mexico an estimate of 67 women out of 100, 15 years or older, have suffered from some type of gender violence. Having a president that focuses on attacking the victims rather that supporting and proposing viable solutions can only contribute to worsening the situation.
On top of it all, another factor that contributes to the lack of security women live with is the inefficiency of the police forces. In most cases, due to corruption and ignorance women do not report situations of aggression that they endure. Last year alone in Mexico, 96% of cases of rape were not reported to the authorities because in 2020 only 5 out of 100 reports ended successfully in a judge’s sentence for the perpetrator. In addition, many women that try to report run into sexist situations that threat their security even more. Often policemen do not believe their accusations claiming they are exaggerating, or it was their fault due to their clothes or the places they were at.
Correspondingly, another factor that violates women safety is the impendent danger of being a victim of modern-day slavery through sex trafficking. Latin America is one of the places with more human trafficking destined to prostitution, especially girls and women. Nowadays, Mexico occupies the third place worldwide in human trafficking destined to sexual exploitation. Taking into consideration most authorities are male, police forces often are part of trafficking routes; prostitutes that escape are placed back into the handlers by police officers because they are top clients. Thus, creating a vicious circle that cannot be broken acting within or without the law, placing women at the bottom of the barrel.
Facing with incompetent laws and having poor access to justice is the least of our problems when authorities are part of the initial issue. Therefore, sadly, with these circumstances, women, before they are born, due to their gender are already in disadvantage. The dangers that threaten a human’s security are not the same everywhere, however, being a woman increases them. That is why, as women in Mexico to not live in constant fear sometimes seems like a far-fetched dream; always thinking to avoid being assaulted or worse.