Violence Against Women Crisis Recognized By Mexican Government In First Ever 'Gender Alert'

On Wednesday, Mexican officials approved a “ gender alert ” for 11 municipalities in the State of Mexico. Officials of the National System to Prevent, Treat, Punish and Eradicate Violence against Women (Snpasevm in Spanish) approved the alert anonymously on Wednesday. Activists welcomed the alert, which they have reportedly demanded for over a decade. The gender alert is part of national legislation aimed at preventing feminicidios or gender-based hate crimes. The legal mechanism has been on the books since 2007 , but is the first time that it has been activated.

“This is a historic day,” said Maria de la Luz Estrada, director of the National Citizens Femicide Observatory, quoted by the Guardian.

The gender alert commits the government to actions which are yet to be announced but are legally required, Univision reports. For example, state officials might have to increase so-called “preventative actions,” refocus public safety, or possibly divert more resources to prosecution of crimes allegedly committed against women with a gender-based motive.

Approval of the gender alert follows years of reported escalation of violence against women in Mexico, and a recent uptick in media coverage. It also follows a conviction in one of the most clear-cut cases of gender violence to be prosecuted in the past decade; the murder of 11 women in Juarez by men who forced them into prostitution . After decades of organizing, feminists in Mexico seem to be making some headway in the fight against impunity. In the past, Mexican officials rejected issuing the alert, Animal Politico reports. In 2013, officials reportedly passed on the alert because the violence was concentrated in 10 of the State of Mexico’s 125 municipalities.

The government also has a strict standard for what counts as a feminicidio . According to the non-governmental National Citizens Femicide Observatory (OCNF in Spanish) 1,767 women died violent deaths in the State of Mexico between 2005 and 2013; hundreds each year. Meanwhile, government statistics informing only count a few dozen such death per year, and only start their counts after 2011 when the definition of feminicidio was codified. Now, the arguments over statistics can cease and action can start.