Chiapas: International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women

The United Nations has declared November 25^th “International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women”. This date was chosen in commemoration of the brutal assassination of the three Marabal sisters under the Trujillo regime in the Dominican Republic in 1960.

Rashida Manjoo, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on violence against women, affirmed that “all women have the right to live free of violence” and called for the States to assume the responsibility to end violence in the lives of women. On the eve of the day, Ban Ki-moon, the secretary general of the UN, announced that “at some point in their lives 70 percent of the world’s women suffer from physical or sexual aggression on the part of a man, who in the majority of cases is the husband, partner, or someone the woman knows. This is unacceptable.”

Women from independent organizations, indigenous women, members of The Other Campaign, syndicates, and international women all marched in the streets of San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas to call attention to the violent situations from which women continue to suffer.

During a meeting in the city’s center one woman said, “Today we remember the heroic, dignified and rebellious fight; this is a day of reflection and of anger and denunciation of the different forms of violence that we suffer as women.”

The public declaration by the organizers of the march stated, “We call to the women and men of both country and city to resist in a civil and peaceful manner, and to build alternatives that are equal across gender, class, and ethnicity in terms of economy, nutrition, education, sanitary, and security.”

For more information (in Spanish):

Pronunciamiento politico organizaciones en Chiapas

Indymedia Chiapas (26 de noviembre de 2009)

Hacen recuento de los atropellos contra mujeres (La Jornada, 26 de noviembre)

Informe presentado a CIDH sobre la violencia institucional contra las mujeres en México (noviembre de 2009)

Oaxaca: event against feminicide

On April 17, in Oaxaca City, more than 20 organizations protested the killing of women and called for an investigation into the ongoing feminicide in Oaxaca. During a press conference, the attending organizations demanded justice for the murdered women. According to the press release, during this year there have been “13 killings in Oaxaca” and “impunity continues in Oaxaca”. They demanded that “the attorney general’s office immediately begin an investigation into the killing of women” as well as put a stop to “the machismo (sexism) which permeates the government and continues claiming the lives of women”.

They denounced that “according to the report on Violence Against Women in Oaxaca by the Federal House of Deputies, Oaxaca is second place in the number of killings of women and children. 549 women were killed in the last 10 years. According to the official statistics, on average almost 5 women (4.8) are killed each month in Oaxaca.”

Finally, the organizations signed a declaration which “urges the implementation of a law dealing with violence against women”.

Interview with Laura Jiménez García of Consorcio (In Spanish):

For More Information (In Spanish):

Boletín de prensa, Consorcio (17/04/2009)

“En Oaxaca asesinan a 1 mujer cada 8 días, consignan los medios”, El Sur (17/04/2009)