Every year in Mexico, thousands of women are killed simply because they are women. Femicide rates in the country are among the highest in the world. Authorities often turn a blind eye, allowing perpetrators to go unpunished. But resistance is growing.
Ara Osorio's daughter, Lesvy Berlín, was found dead at a university in Mexico City on May 3, 2017, with a telephone cord around her neck. The authorities initially investigated her death as a suicide, but it soon became clear that Lesvy had been strangled by a man. Ara Osorio and students at the university were determined to see justice done, pressuring the public prosecutor's office until it finally opened a murder investigation.
Ara Osorio is part of the protest movement "Ni una menos”, or "Not one less.” The movement has seen women come together to demand justice for the thousands of killings that happen each year. Authorities say 3,427 women were killed in 2024. Only 829 of these killings were classified as femicides, which has been strongly criticized.
Women are disproportionately targeted by patriarchal structures, caught up in drug-related gang violence, or killed by their partners. But women in Mexico are fighting back - with protest marches, art, and programs offering practical support. One such program was started by Flora Gutiérrez, an indigenous lawyer from Oaxaca. She started an association that supports women who have been victims of violence. Initiatives like these provide hope that the cycle of violence and impunity may yet be broken.
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