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As many as 400 women have been murdered over the past 15 years
in the town of Juarez, Mexico, located across the border from El
Paso, Texas and home to one of the country’s most powerful drug
cartels. But most of the deaths are still unsolved, due to
botched or even non-existent investigations. The Mexican
government has finally responded to the violence with a sweeping
new law, according to Women’s E-news.
The federal law stipulates the removal of an aggressor from the
household and mandates specialized training for police and
prosecutors in the enforcement of such measures. Additionally,
it requires local governments to create laws and programs within
the next six months to reduce gender-based violence and punish
abusers, according to Women’s E-news. The law also lays
the groundwork for a central data bank of specific cases of
violence against women as well as a national public education
campaign.
Advocates are cautiously optimistic that the new law will bring
about changes to halt the violence. Nationally, four women and
girls are murdered daily in Mexico, according to the country’s
National Institute of Statistics and Geographical Information.
About 75% of the murdered women in Mexico die at the hands of
their husbands, according to Alicia Elena Perez Duarte, the
federal prosecutor overseeing the Juarez murder file.
Source:
“Mexico
Replies to Juarez with Anti-Violence Law,” Women’s E-news,
March 2, 2007. |
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