Article by PBI-Canada

Photo: Yucatan Times

On November 10, The Guardian reported: “Human rights activists in Mexico have expressed indignation after police opened fire on protesters who tried to force their way into Cancún city hall during a demonstration against the country’s femicide crisis.”

“The demonstration was called after the dismembered body of 20-year-old Bianca ‘Alexis’ Lorenzana, was found, days after she disappeared.”

The Yucatan Times further notes: “The hooded uniformed men, with bulletproof vests and long weapons, suddenly started firing at close range in the central square a few meters [where] 2,000 young people were protesting in front of the public building in response to the three brutal femicides registered this weekend in the State of Quintana Roo.”

On November 8, police fired tear gas at a group of 40 people protesting the femicide of 17-year-old Amber Viridiana Uicab in Cuautitlán.

The Guardian also reports: “Activists’ frustration has focused on the country’s current leftist president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who has downplayed gender issues and accused feminist critics of allying with his conservative political opponents.”

Approximately 10 women are murdered in Mexico each day.

In 2017, an estimated 238 women were murdered each day around the world.

PBI-USA is committed to a vision of a world free of violence. We stand in solidarity with women impacted by gender-based violence and with all who strive to end femicide, discrimination, harassment, and hate.