Femicide in Mexico and La Marcha Feminista
Ten women are murdered in Mexico each day—one of the factors which prompted the monumental March 8th feminist protest in Mexico City on International Women’s Day. The Marcha Feminista responded to the increasing cases of femicides, gender-based killings, and the Mexican government’s inaction.
Protestors, both women and men, chanted “Somos tu vos,” which translates to, “We are your voice,” on the streets. They held up crosses with the name and pictures of victims, each cross representing a victim of femicide. The emotional and moving scene highlighted the rise of femicide in the country. The government’s lacking response is a factor as to why the violence has persisted with many murders left ‘unsolved’ and ‘shelved’, as Ferguson and Henry say, with, “…a disinterested and overburdened police force already battling an epidemic of violent crime unleashed by a long-running war on the drug cartels.” The protest brought to light not only Mexican women’s reaction to the violence they face daily but the depths to which machismo (misogyny) is systemically rooted in the country’s culture and politics. Miller outlined the protest’s goals and wrote, “Thousands of women took to the streets… demanding an end to gender-based killings they say are rooted in a culture of machismo and urging the government [to] do more to protect them.”
The protest was in response to the ongoing battle against misogyny in Mexico, an imbalance that has characterized the nation throughout its history. Mexico is founded on the notion of resilience, it is embedded into their very vocabulary. The Spanish spoken is a reflection of the colonization endured at the hands of the Spanish conquistadores. As a country that takes great pride in its history and its freedom, Mexico contradicts itself by offering little freedom or safety to 51% of its population. Inequality does not manifest into a singular issue but is rather a complex web that reflects culture, society, and politics.
Mexican women face various forms of injustice. Being born a woman places you at a disadvantage like having direct entry into a society with a significant gender pay gap. Therefore, despite increasing femicide cases being the focus of the protest, it was also a reaction to the many prevalent forms of sexism in Mexico. Heightened by the Covid-19 pandemic, violence against women worsened and has risen by 30%. Quarantine forced women and families to remain at home which confined some women to an unsafe and violent environment.
The increase in femicide and violence against women is in direct contrast to the general decline of violent crime in Mexico in previous years. In 2021 there were 1,004 recorded cases of gender-based killings in the country. That number has doubled since Mexico first began to track femicide in 2015.
The way in which the Mexican government has chosen to deal with this issue is abhorrent and a slap-in-the face to all women. It is a reminder that women are relegated as second-class citizens. The constant injustices Mexican women face create an atmosphere of unease and unrest—an environment where no woman can feel truly safe or at ease
Photo: Reuters
Works Cited
Grant, Will. “Fury Fuels Historic Women's Strike in Mexico.” BBC News. BBC, March 9, 2020.https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-51736957.
Henry, Matt, and Sarah Ferguson. “A Prosecutor Reviewed Hundreds of Female 'Suicide' Cases.
She Uncovered the Alarming Truth.” ABC News. ABC News, March 25, 2022. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-24/mexico-femicide-units-violent-crime-women-fo reign-correspondent/100920716.
“Hundreds Join Violence against Women Protest in Mexico.” BBC News. BBC, November 4, 2021. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-59162501.
Miller, Leila. “Thousands of Feminists March in Mexico City: 'I Am Scared to Simply Be a Woman in Mexico'.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, March 9, 2022. https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2022-03-08/mexico-womens-day-protest?_a mp=true.
Person. “Murders in Mexico Fall 3.6% in 2021, but Femicides Rise.” Reuters. Thomson Reuters, January 21, 2022. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/murders-mexico-fall-36-2021-femicides-rise-20 22-01-20/.
“Women Voice Ire, Fear as Femicides Continue to Rise in Mexico.” JUSTICE IN MEXICO, March 10, 2020. https://justiceinmexico.org/women-voice-ire-fear-as-femicides-continue-to-rise-in-mexic o/.