By Iris Mbok, Year 12
Femicide cases have been increasing at an alarming rate in the past few years, especially in Mexico, where women ranging from as young as 13 to 60 risk getting their lives taken prematurely. The misfortune of being born a woman subjects them to rape, murder and preventable healthcare related deaths with officials working to find the cause for this string of murders.
The reality is, that the patriarchy is to blame. The societal system that champions hatred towards women and instills a false sense of superiority in the male part of the population directly contributes to the suffering of thousands of women in Mexico alone.
Between 2015 and 2021, the death rate in Mexico has increased by 145%, with 10 women being murdered every day and 3500 every year. Out of all these cases, a mere 947 were classified as femicides, revealing the unjust nature of the Mexican justice system. Because facing reality, is acknowledging that most crimes against women are committed with gender being factored in by the perpetrator, making it femicide.
These statistics become even more alarming when discussing other gender based crime, such as rape, specifically on the Mexican/US border. The ambiguous legal nature and the rampant criminal activity in the area facilitates sexual crime often targeted to women and girls in already vulnerable situations.
Ciudad Juárez, a city near the border, became a hotspot for gender based violence. It’s rapid industrialisation attracted over 300,000 workers, with most of them being women, and the dangerous working conditions and low wages put these women in unsafe living conditions increasing their chances of being subjected to gender based violence. With less than 15% of rapes being reported, and only 7% of crime the question remains, what are the Mexican authorities doing to counter this?
Research exposed that the government was actively trying to cover up and hide the femicide rates, with ⅓ of deaths being reported as having a different cause. The neglect and active effort to deny the problem not only worsen the livelihood for women around the country but show how this issue is systemic, as opposed to pertaining to Ciudad Juánsz alone.
Additionally, in Mexico, a “machista” culture is increasingly prevalent, in proportion to the idea that women should stay at home and take care of domestic issues. “Machismo” is a sense of exaggerated masculinity in which men deem themselves superior to women. It is a concept manifested in many Latin American households leading to the belief that men and women should have certain roles in society. Women are therefore often left without a salary and need their husbands to support them, increasing their vulnerability to domestic violence and death. The corrupt legal and police system in Mexico further disadvantages women who are in need of help. Bribery is very common and often used as a trick for abusers to get away scot-free.
Sadly, this issue is a reflection of the system in which women have to live in today. It can be applied to Mexico alone as well as a global social structure which enables the extreme and most importantly fatal mistreatment of women.
