Mexico's Feminist Revolution
A women's march in San Miguel de Allende opened my eyes to the realities of violence against women in Mexico and beyond.
My dog’s ears perked up, as did mine. We heard a rumbling in the distance. Not ones to miss out on the excitement, we ran towards the sound a few blocks away. The deafening vibrations quickly enveloped us, as we realized the source of the noise: hundreds of women dressed in black, purple, and green, marching the streets of San Miguel de Allende (our current town) on March 8, International Women’s Day. Passionately chanting in unison, these women were angry. Their cause: The right to not be scared to be a woman living in Mexico.
It’s been a week since International Women’s Day, a day that reminds us of the achievements and rights of women. For the past few years, women in Mexico have marched on this day, carrying signs that read, “I march because I’m alive and I don’t know for how long” and “Not one more assassination!”. These women are fighting violence against them, against us, and against me. They’re fighting, most notably, against feminicide (or femicide), the intentional murder of women because they’re women.
Before I continue, I want to be transparent. I debated whether to publish this article for days. For one, by talking about violence against women in Mexico, I feared that I’d be furthering misconceptions about Mexico being an entirely unsafe and undesirable country to visit. Second, travel is supposed to be fun and a travel newsletter (like this one) should uphold that tone of enjoyment.
I decided that I’d regret it more if I didn’t publish than if I did and this is why:
Violence against women is not an issue specific to Mexico - it’s a global crisis. According to UNWomen.org 81,000 women and girls were killed worldwide in 2020 with 58% dying at the hands of an intimate partner or family member. It’s a staggering number when you consider that this equals to a woman or girl killed every 11 minutes in her home. We all need to know this.
Traveling is fun, but it’s much more than that: it’s an opportunity to see and understand the world as it is, not as it should be. Change for the better can only happen if we travel with our eyes wide open.
So, I will not shy away from telling the story of the women I saw marching in Mexico. Instead, I embrace my role as a woman who stumbled on the march of other women, researched their cause, and can write to tell others what I learned. Here is the story of the Mexican women I saw and their fight.
Violence against women in Mexico and the brave women who defy it
If you’ve been reading this newsletter for a while, you know that I’m a fiercely proud Mexican. I deeply love the country where I was born and raised. I’m in love, but this doesn’t make me blind. I know that Mexico has faults (as do all countries), and some of its worst ones have to do with the safety of women.
In 2020, 3,723 women were registered as murdered in Mexico, with 949 of them investigated as feminicides. In 2021, the number of registered feminicides increased to 1,004. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), feminicide is usually perpetrated by men, with most cases being committed by partners or ex-partners, and is typically preceded by abuse in the home where women have less power than their partner.
When I read these figures, my first reaction was to blame the machismo society of Mexico. “Machismo” has been not only accepted, but celebrated, for years. From telenovelas and movies where the male protagonist is portrayed as the superior human who saves the woman, to work environments where men occupy 90% of executive positions, to 70% of nuclear families with male decision-makers, the message is this: women should be subservient to men.
Macho attitudes do tend to normalize male aggression and dominance, but machismo isn’t the only thing to blame for violence against women in Mexico. Other causes include low levels of education and financial resources, witnessing family violence, and the ability to literally get away with murder.
In 2021, Amnesty International published a report that shed light on the lack of proper investigation into crimes against women by Mexican authorities. Some factors involved loss of evidence, the arbitrary use of a 72-hour rule for the acceptance of missing people reports, and the lack of a gender perspective in the investigation (like blaming the victim and stereotyping). As a result, victims’ families are left to pick up the pieces, often having to investigate the case themselves, which not only takes money and time but can also lead to threats and harassment from the perpetrators and even the investigating authorities.
“I tell the other mothers: ‘If you’re angry, you can always find a can to kick and cry until you’re exhausted, and then, when you’ve finished crying, you calm down, clear your mind and ask: What are you going to do about your daughter’s investigation?’”
-Laura Curiel, mother of Daniela Sánchez Curiel, a victim of disappearance (as documented by Amnesty International)
Times are changing and women have had enough. In the last few years, Mexico City has seen some of its biggest marches against violence against women in Mexico’s history. In 2020, over 80,000 women from around the country gathered in the capital, with thousands more protesting in other major cities. People - and the government - are taking notice, but not all reactions are supportive. In fact, though most protests have been peaceful, the act of a few has led to the stigmatization of the women who march, who are seen as the “violent” ones.
In the recent 2022 protest, Mexico City police claimed to have seized Molotov cocktails, hammers, bats, and fireworks from protesters. Media also reported that two protesters swung and shattered a glass cover at a bus stop. The president of Mexico has used these examples to assert that the feminist movement is being infiltrated by “conservative” groups that intend to cripple his government through violence.
Whether the president’s claims are true or not doesn’t warrant the excessive use of force to deter the women who protest. In the recent 2022 march in Mexico City, the president ordered the deployment of more than 3,000 public safety officials, as well as the Marines and the National Guard.
It is understandable that these actions are seen as excessive when it is some (certainly not all) authorities who perpetrate the violence. According to a 2021 report by Amnesty International on “Stigma and Violence Against Women Protesters” in the past, some authorities have used excessive force on women protesters by being verbally and physically abusive, by making arbitrary arrests, and by using sexual violence to try to teach women a lesson. The lesson is that “a woman must not dare go out and demonstrate and behave in ways that are counter to gender stereotypes according to which women should stay at home and not go out looking for trouble1.”
Now what?
As far as I can tell, some actions have been taken by the government, but not enough. In 2022, 3.3% of the government’s total budget for the year is flagged for programs that specifically fight violence against women and promote greater equality. The problem is that nearly 90% of that amount will be directed to programs considered as a “priority” by the president, including ones directed towards general youth and pensions for the elderly. These are great steps for society overall, but many argue that it is unclear how these priority programs directly help to protect women against violence.
Mexican non-profits are taking action, like EQUIS, a women-led organization that collaborates with the government to transform institutions, laws, and public policies that improve access to justice for all women. It’s promising to also see men-led organizations taking a stance, like GENDES. This non-profit not only promotes education and awareness among men regarding gender violence but also provides a hotline that men can call for help in de-escalating their anger and other emotions that could lead to violent behavior.
Certainly, eradicating violence against women in Mexico and everywhere else is a complicated endeavor that will take time and the effort of many. At the individual level, there are steps we can take starting now. For one, we can start by listening to the stories of women. When the San Miguel de Allende protest ended last week, I stood and listened to the participants, who took turns telling their individual stories through a megaphone.
I couldn’t help but feel emotional and in complete awe of each woman who spoke up. One took the megaphone to tell the story of how she and her boyfriend were apprehended by police during a date night, and how her short hair seemed to give the authorities (who threw her on the ground) permission to treat her “like a man”. Another took the megaphone to accuse the police standing nearby, reminding them of the insufficient action they’ve taken to protect women. It felt odd to see that some of those police members were women themselves, caught between their gender and their jobs.
In addition to listening, we can also start conversations about the plight that women are facing, not just in Mexico but everywhere. In the U.S., at least four black women and girls were murdered per day in 2020. It is not OK for ANY woman to be murdered, and it’s also not OK that the media and authorities in the U.S. ignore the disappearances of women of color more often than those of white women. We can’t continue to ignore this racial disparity.
Other actions we can take as individuals include calling out sexual harassment, learning the signs of abuse, and becoming better informed. Here are some additional resources I can suggest to learn more about the problem of violence against women and how you can help:
10 ways you can help end violence against women (by UNWomen.org)
Key facts by the UN regarding violence against women worldwide
U.S. organizations by state that provide support to women who have experienced violence
Mexican organizations that provide support to women who have experienced violence
If you know of great resources, please add them in the comments!
My personal commitment
My biggest takeaway from witnessing the women’s march in San Miguel de Allende has been to act. While I didn’t join their march, I did stop to listen to the women who were bravely protesting so I could tell their stories to others. And while I was close to throwing this article into the shredder because it wasn’t “fun”, I vow to click on the “publish” button (if you’re reading this, that means I did!).
To commemorate International Women’s Day, a good friend of mine and I launched a podcast for women (you can check it out here) to bring to light real issues that women face, especially at work. I admit that this feels like play compared to the work of the women who march. But, it’s another tiny step forward in acting in support of other women.
I sincerely thank you for reading until this point. I recognize that what I have shared is not easy to swallow and doesn’t leave you with the wanderlust feelings that many travel-focused articles do (next week’s post will!). But, what I witnessed and subsequently learned about gender-based violence can’t be ignored. For me, knowing and writing about what’s happening was a critical step forward in acting.
As I sign off, I leave you with the words of the many women who bravely wrote on the posters above and took to the streets last week in San Miguel de Allende:
“I’m so sick of running as fast as I can. Wondering if I’d get there quicker if I were a man.”
“In memory of all the girls who were never believed.”
“On my way home, I want to be free, not brave.”
“We will plant rebellion until we grow freedom."
“Feminism that doesn’t make you uncomfortable is marketing.”
“I’ve spent 17 years of my life announcing that I got home alive.”
“We are the voice of women who are no longer here.”
“It’s for them that today we shout to the heavens.”
“None of us are free until all women are free.”
Karla is a Mexican/American travel and fiction writer. She’s also a life and career coach for women. Karla is one-half of Aventura Road, a married couple of nomads who live in an RV and travel full-time. Karla writes, while Noah photographs.
Follow Karla on Instagram @karlaexploradora.
Follow Karla & Noah on Instagram @aventuraroad.
https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr41/3724/2021/en/
A very thought provoking article.. thank you for sharing! ....Eyes wide open...
When I was doing a Spanish Language Week in Tahoe a few years ago, there was a really interesting cultural breakout session about Machismo in Mexico. The speaker also talked about Machisma, and how they can go together. It was basically the roll that many women play in a kind of crazy dance between Mexican men and women. It might be interesting to look up Machisma and how it fits into all of this. I wish I remembered more details of the talk.