Murdering Mexican women with impunity

Protesters hold a sign reading ‘Not one more femicide’ during a feminist march in Guadalajara

Life can be tough and bitterly unfair for women in Mexico with one killed every four hours and only a small proportion of those responsible ever being convicted.

Maria Guadalupe Leon Hurtado doesn’t want her daughter to become the next grim statistic. Leon, a mother of eight who used to suffer domestic abuse, sits in the waiting room at the Women’s Justice Centre in Guadalajara, Mexico’s second-biggest city.

With a pained expression, Leon told Al Jazeera she’s there to support her daughter, who is being physically abused by her partner.

Since its inauguration in February, the centre has been flooded by victims of gender-based violence. In its first two weeks, it received 675 women who had the courage to denounce all manner of physical and emotional abuse and seek help.

“The most common complaints are of domestic violence, rape and sexual harassment,” Zulema Carrio, the director of the centre, told Al Jazeera.

The majority of victims are women of low economic status, she said…

Click here to read this feature in full at Al Jazeera.