Killed for being a woman By Patricio Hernández Senosiain

As a young man living in Mexico City, I form part of a demographic that enjoys unparalleled privilege. During my life, I’ll get to earn 1 dollar for every cent a female counterpart makes, I will be expected to work and follow my dreams instead of staying at home cooking and cleaning and, when I walk down the street, I won’t get catcalled or whistled at. While these are all terrible symptoms of the patriarchal society I live in, as well as significant challenges Mexican women face daily, they don’t compare to the constant threat that they face every time they use public transport, or walk alone by night, because the fact remains that Mexico is, to this day, one of the most dangerous places for women in the world. 

Gender violence encompasses a large variety of crimes committed on the basis of gender, and is present at the core of Mexican society. We see gender violence when women are groped daily in the crowded subway, or beaten in their houses by their spouses or family, or raped on the street because they were ‘asking for it’, but perhaps the worst form of gender violence is femicide, defined as the intentional killing of women because of their gender. According to Animal Politico, six women are killed every day in Mexico , yet very few of these murders are reported or even mentioned in the 1 media, highlighting the lack of exposure this growing issue receives in our society. Furthermore, we see the problem of femicide is also exacerbated by intersectionality, with 108 transgender women women being killed between 2014 and 2016 , yet cases of murder involving transgender or indigenous 2 women receive even less exposure from the media. Overall, we see the two problems related to gender violence in Mexico: The first being that it exists , the second being that we don’t talk about it. 

Despite its existence around the world, there are inherent characteristics that amplify the issue of gender violence in Mexico, which essentially fall into two categories: First, we have structural factors, such as a lack of safe spaces, a weak and unprofessional police force and a bureaucratic judicial system. All of these factors contribute towards the problem of gender violence in Mexico because of the way they neglect their purpose as institutions of the state and fail to meet the requirements Mexican society demands of these authorities. This leads to the status quo many women face in Mexico: one where they experience a state of constant paranoia, feel threatened in public spaces and cannot turn to the police in case of harassment. Even in the best case scenario, where the victim actually has the courage to denounce harassment, their claims will likely be doubted by most authorities, their cases will probably be mishandled and their fight may extend for years before they actually get justice. Ultimately, this creates an atmosphere where victims of gender violence have little and improper legal recourse in their fight against harassment, but equally important in exacerbating this problem are cultural factors. In this regard, we see that rape culture is prominent in Mexican society, and this is arguably the biggest problem associated with gender violence. In Mexico, a woman that is victim of harassment will be slut-shamed at one point or another if she speaks up, with people saying she ‘asked for it’ or she’s at fault because of how she dressed, or how she acted; in essence, Mexico is a country that will take the side of the aggressor rather than the victim solely because of their gender. Understanding how this deeply-rooted rape culture plays into the issue of gender violence is key if we are ever to solve it, because even if we take the country at its best, even if we had a better police force and a more efficient system, nothing will ever change without a cultural shift. Unless we fix this terrible culture that pushes us to take the side of the aggressor, women will not feel incentivized to take action and fight against their harassment, regardless of whether they have proper recourse to do so. 

When asking ourselves what to do regarding this issue, it is fundamental to take into account both of the factors previously discussed, as only by addressing them are we to solve this problem. In the short run, the government should aim to resolve structural issues that impede women from having proper legal recourse to fight harassment, and this can be done by establishing more safe spaces for women, like the pink subway cars or buses that already exist and have worked marvelously. Furthermore, equipping and training a police force against harassment as well as eliminating red tape in judicial processes for cases of gender violence is essential towards dealing with structural factors. In the long run, however, the state must change the public education system to emphasize gender equality in schools and inform students about gender violence, because only by educating the youth about this issue can we work towards eliminating rape culture in Mexico, and then maybe hope for a future where women will be able to walk without fear at night.