Mexican Women Urge Government to Put A Stop To Violence And Femicide
Hundred of women in Mexico are now protesting over the government's empty promises to end violence against women.
The gruesome murder of a 25-year-old Ingrid Escamilla sparked protest throughout the country after she was found dead, disemboweled, and skinned by the 46-year-old man she lived with.
The public prosecutor's office faced backlash and criticism after they leaked photos of the victim's mutilated body to the press.
Local publications eventually used the photos in their newspaper.
Women marched to the National Palace where Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador held his press conferences.
Protesters demanded justice for the victim, as well as sanctions for the people responsible for leaking photos of her corpse. They urged the government to take action following the rising cases of femicide in the country.
Read More: Gruesome Murder of 25-Year-Old Woman Sparks Protest in Mexico
Following Ingrid Escamilla's death, authorities found another femicide victim in a 7-year-old girl.
Fatima was found murdered and wrapped in a plastic bag days after she was reported missing. She was picked up from school by an unidentified woman who was later charged with murder.
The perpetrator was arrested along with another man after they were found to have beaten and sexually abused the child before her death.
The suspects abandoned their rented home in Tlahuac a day before the victim's body was discovered by authorities.
Read More: 7-Year-Old Girl Found Wrapped in Plastic Bag in Mexico City
Law enforcement officials found two more cases of femicide on Ecatepec on February 24. The municipality is known for multiple murder and kidnapping cases involving women, making it one of the most dangerous places for females.
The cases sparked outrage among Mexican women who called the government's response insufficient and negligent.
"Governments come and go, and they never get to the bottom of the issue. That's why the number of murders has gone up in the last ten years," the Coordinator at the national Citizen Observatory for Femicide (OCNF) Maria de la Luz Estrada said.
10 women are murdered in Mexico every day. 3,825 women fell victims to the fender-based crime in 2019 alone.
Femicide cases rose from 425 cases in 2015 to 1,006 in 2019. The majority of these cases never get justice.
The federal government has reportedly decreased the budget for women's programs.
Activists warn the government about its inaction towards the rising number of femicide throughout Mexico.
Aimee Vega, who works with the National Autonomous University of Mexico said the murders are avoidable if the government chooses to approve more countermeasures.
She urged authorities to increase prison time for femicide suspects from 65 years.
Vega also said punitive sanctions will not help eradicate the problem.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador addressed the issue during a press conference, but refrained from using the term "femicide."
He also said the protests had different agendas.
Anti-femicide activists are now planning to hold protests and a national strike on March 8 and 9.
Estrada addressed Obrador's accusations saying, "What we cannot allow this government to do is to leave women out."
Subscribe to Latin Post!
Sign up for our free newsletter for the Latest coverage!