Story By: Amanda Morales, Sub-Editor: Michael Leidig, Agency: Central European News
Mexican women have been protesting outside the National Palace to demand justice for the rising number of femicides taking place in the country.
Feminist groups and victims’ relatives started protesting outside the National Palace, located on Mexico City’s main square the Plaza de la Constitucion (El Zocalo), on 6th July.
Demonstrators are demanding a meeting with President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador who has yet to respond to the protests taking place outside the palace he occupies.
Protests were started by the family members of Diana Velazquez, 24, who was allegedly murdered two and a half years ago and the case still remains unsolved.
Velazquez’ relatives were joined by protesters committed to the fight against gender violence as well as other families affected by the untimely loss of loved ones.
On 20th July, a group of around 30 hooded women wrote graffiti on the palace that read “if there is no solution, we will continue to stand” and “how much for a little bit of justice?”, according to news site Infobae.
They also lay on the ground and put chalk lines around their bodies to symbolise a crime scene.
Feminist activist Malu Garcia told the newspaper La Jornada that they have yet to receive a response from the president after 15 days of protests.
Garcia added that they received a letter from the National Commission to Prevent and Eradicate Violence Against Women (Conavim) that assured them: “The issue of gender violence is currently being worked out.”
For his part, President Lopez Obrador said in a public statement on 14th July that “Mexican women have never been as well protected as now”.
Mexico’s Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System (SESNSP) said that 6,770 women have been killed in the country between December 2018 and today.
They added that 5,314 cases were considered intentional homicides while 1,456 were classified as femicides.
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