单选题
For nearly two years, Marisela Escobedo Ortiz led a one-woman campaign to bring the murderer of her 16-year-old daughter to justice. Ms. Escobedo was outraged after a three-judge panel ignored overwhelming evidence pointing to her daughter"s then boyfriend, a member of a criminal gangs Sergio Barraza, as the killer. The judges" decision was eventually overturned—but not before Barraza was released and Escobedo herself murdered this past December, while protesting in front of the Chihuahua state governor"s office.
Escobedo"s death was recorded by a security camera and broadcast throughout the country, outraging the Mexican public and leading to the suspension of the three judges involved in the original trial. Her case is not only representative of the impunity with which activists are silenced in Mexico, but also highlights the marked increase in violence toward women as the country has been drawn deeper into its battle with organised crime.
Since President Calderon began to take on Mexico"s crime in 2006, the country"s drug war has taken a total of 34,612 lives, nearly half of which were claimed solely in 2010. Unbeknown to many, the deaths resulting from organized crime have also coincided with the murder of over 4,000 women since 2006 from causes unrelated to the nation"s drug war. While violence toward women is not new to Mexico, the estimated number of female deaths suggests a callous disregard by Mexico"s government of this growing phenomenon.
The authorities" negligence is especially evident in Escobedo"s native state of Chihuahua, home to the notorious Ciudad Juarez, where according to human rights organizations, femicides rose by 130% between 2009 and 2010, resulting in a total of 446 murdered women only last year. This worsening epidemic has led local authorities throughout the country to downplay the mounting violence by misclassifying murders, attributing deaths to drug violence, or simply under-report the figures.
This national campaign of misinformation seems to be primarily motivated by electoral politics, as was recently demonstrated by Mexico state governor—and leading presidential candidate for the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI)—Enrique Pefia Nieto. Earlier this month, authorities in Mexico state clashed with NGOs seeking to declare a "gender emergency" in the locality after federal prosecutors announced that over 900 women had been murdered in the state during the past five years. This figure would make Mexico state one of the most violent in the nation, and likely damage the closely guarded image of governor Pefia Nieto. The government of Pefia Nieto succeeded in lobbying national authorities to avoid applying the "gender emergency" designation to his state, prompting the condemnation of domestic and international NGOs.
While Mexico"s authorities might continue to successfully obscure the extent of the country"s increasing violence toward women, the rising death toll and public outrage make this task increasingly, difficult. Ms. Escobedo"s death, along with that of activist Susana Chavez earlier this month, have already sparked protests throughout Mexico and at Mexican embassies around the world, as well as bringing mounting international criticism.
As Mexico enters its fifth year of conflict and escalating militarisation, the country"s ability to ensure basic protections for its citizens—and, in particular, for those most at risk—has never been less certain. If Mexico"s political class is intent on improving its reputation for governance, it should focus less on muddling with the figures and more on resolving the nation"s problems.