7 yıl önce

Femicides in Mexico increase as police turn a blind eye

The murder of women in Mexico usually go unsolved with activists saying police do little. Seven women are murdered each day in Mexico, the National Citizen Femicide Observatory said.

Staff Reporter

TRT World and Agencies

Women across Mexico marched against gender violence and patriarchy in a national day of action to raise awareness about violence against women on April 24, 2016. (File photo)

In southern Mexico, a growing number of women are being murdered while the killings are more common in remote mountain communities.

The murder of women is a chronic problem in rural Mexico.

In Guerrero, 120 women are estimated to be murdered every year. That figure is climbing, and 95 percent of those killings go unsolved.

According to the National Citizen Femicide Observatory, seven women are murdered each day in Mexico yet only about a quarter of cases were investigated by authorities. Less than two percent led to sentencing.

Activists accuse authorities and the media of not taking femicide seriously in the country, often dubbing such incidents as a "crime of passion."

Since 2007, Mexico has approved a number of laws and set up institutions to safeguard women from discrimination and violence, but they are not being used effectively, report human rights experts. Critics say corruption and incompetence are rampant in under-funded police forces across Mexico. Families routinely complain that police show little interest in the cases of missing women.

TRT World's Alasdair Baverstock met with some of the families who have lost their loved ones.