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.
Citizens’ Movement candidate Enrique Alfaro hopes to become the next mayor of Guadalajara.
Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu, known for the film Birdman, perfectly captured the mood of his nation during his 2015 Academy Awards acceptance speech, dedicating his award to the people of Mexico.
“I pray that we can find and build the government that we deserve,” he said.
Years of constant bloodshed and unchecked corruption have fueled disillusionment in the country ahead of this summer’s midterm elections. But in Guadalajara, the nation’s second-largest city, there are signs that the June 7 elections could herald a shift toward what some voters hope could be a more citizen-led model of government.
Two candidates in particular have stoked a sense of optimism: Enrique Alfaro of the liberal Citizen’s Movement party, and Pedro Kumamoto, a young independent candidate for the Jalisco state congress.
Alfaro, who is currently leading in Guadalajara’s mayoral race, presents a well-funded and highly organized campaign, while Kumamoto is leading a mostly grassroots independent movement. But what 40-year-old Alfaro, and wiry 25-year-old Kumamato have in common is the goal of defeating the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, from its current grip of power in one of Mexico´s most important states…
Click here to read this feature in full at VICE News.
The first independent candidate for the state congress, Pedro Kumamoto has spent day after day canvassing voters in Zapopan’s District 10.
Reporting on the recent violence in Jalisco
Earlier today I discussed the recent violence in Guadalajara and the state of Jalisco with Marco Werman on his show The World, which airs on PRI radio and the BBC World Service.
You can listen to my segment and read a summary here.
Earlier this week I also did a similar interview with James Fredrick on the Los Gueros podcast of Latin American news (click here to download from iTunes)
The Tequila Files 