By Julieth Lara
Coronavirus and violence. Never two words associated together in the past or now. Never two words spoken about in the media. Never two words exposed together to seek help.
As Coronavirus has fundamentally marked and changed the globe forever, there is another aspect to the horrendous disease with an even higher death rate: violence. New figures show more violence and deaths occurring as a result of coronavirus. How does coronavirus and violence have a link? At-home abuse and the mental toll of quarantining. Yet, the association between coronavirus and violence has an even greater issue: femicide in Mexico.
Femicide. Femicide is the intentional killing of females for the sole reason that their sex is female. Femicide has been an issue in Mexico for several decades now, however, new figures reflect a surge in violence against women during pandemic. It is projected that femicide in Mexico for the first half of 2020 has increased by 7.7% in comparison to the figures of femicide rates from 2019, partly due to the pandemic and quarantining. Mexican shelters have also reported an increase of women attempting to flee domestic violence compared to the usual amount. In March, as the pandemic lockdowns were imposed, emergency calls by women attempting to flee at-home violence and possible death reached record levels high. The National Network of Shelters states that it has received 80% more calls since the pandemic started and the amount of women and children admitted to its 69 shelters has increased by 50%.
Why is this happening? Why has there been an increase of femicide in Mexico? This is mainly in part of the Mexican president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador (Amlo), downplaying the issue of femicide and decreasing budgets for agencies that focus on women’s issues. On July 15, 2020, the government approved a 75% budget cut for the federal women’s institute and a proposal was made to withdraw state funding for women’s shelters and instead give a cash payment to women fleeing from violence. With these new budget cut laws in place, this ultimately leaves the shelters to close, which leaves the amount of women seeking safety with a greater chance of death.
Analysts say women’s issues do not occupy a place on Amlo’s agenda. In the beginning of the pandemic, Amlo and the government were ridiculed for public service advertisements which encouraged families to “count to 10” as a solution for rising tensions under lockdown, however, many activists and citizens pointed out that domestic violence was far more serious issue than family members getting on each other’s nerves.
The Mexican government’s actions reflect the greater issue at hand: women’s rights still need to be developed and protected on an international, political level. As the pandemic is still underway, one can only hope for the safety and freedom of these innocent Mexican women. Femicide, a thing once thought to as the past, is still a raging issue in the world—it is an issue that must be taken care of, it is an issue that needs to be changed.
Coronavirus and violence. Never two words associated together in the past or now. Never two words spoken about in the media. Never two words exposed together to seek help.
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