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News > Latin America

Oaxaca's 'Safe Woman' Program Fights Gender Violence Daily

  • Constanza Garcia Lopez, an Indigenous woman from Oaxaca displays artisan clothing made by other indigenous survivors of domestic violence.

    Constanza Garcia Lopez, an Indigenous woman from Oaxaca displays artisan clothing made by other indigenous survivors of domestic violence. | Photo: EFE

Published 28 December 2015
Opinion

The “Safe Woman” or Mujer Segura program is a 24-hour immediate response service launched in 2014 to tackle violence against women in Oaxaca.

A Mexican urgent action program that aims to tackle violence against women in the southern state of Oaxaca has responded to more than one case of gender violence every day this year in the city of Oaxaca alone, local media reported.

Since the beginning of 2015, the Mujer Segura program, run by 12 officials, has responded to 453 emergency calls in Oaxaca city, the largest municipality in the state by the same name.

“Mujer Segura, a program that responds to violence in Oaxaca.”

Emergency situations included cases of domestic violence, sexual assault, and other forms of violence against women, Mexico’s official news agency Notimex reported.

Mujer Segura is a 24-hour immediate response service launched in 2014 to tackle violence against women and prevent femicides in Oaxaca.

ANALYSIS: Femicide in Mesoamerica Persists as Systemic Gender Violence

The program responds to an average of two family violence cases per day, along with other cases.

While the ultimate goal of the program is to put an end to violence against women, officials work to counsel victims of gender violence and make sure they know they are not alone and have access to support networks and protection, according to NTX.

WATCH: Femcide Rate in Mexico Unabated in 15 Years

Mujer Segura also works to follow up with victims of gender violence to try to ensure that women do not become repeat victims of abuses.

While the program is run locally through Oaxaca’s Ministry of Public Security, Mexico as a whole continues to suffer a gender violence crisis.

According to national statistics, seven Mexican women were killed every day on average across the country in 2013 and 2014 and dozens more faced other forms of gender violence. In some Mexican states, femicides are 15 times higher than the global average.

INTERVIEW: Patriarchy, Capitalism, and Impunity Fuel Femicide

More than 44,000 women have been murdered in Mexico the past three decades, according to official statistics. Few perpetrators have been brought to justice, and an impunity rate of more than 95 percent in femicide cases fuels violence against women.

In Oaxaca, Mujer Segura responds to cases based on reports received through an emergency hotline available 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.

WATCH: 98% Impunity Fuels Systemic Violence Against Women

Tags

Central America & Mexico Mexico Equality & human rights Women's rights

Notimex
by teleSUR / hg-OA-gp
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