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Dr. Cynthia Bejarano is dwarfed by a memorial dress for one of the victims during a panel discussion on friday. Panelists from four universities in two countries gathered to discuss the antecedents that have perpetuated the crisis of violence against the women of Mexico. Their research has followed a trail of crime and drug trafficking that among other areas, ends on the doorstep of America.
The contributing factors of the annihilation of women in Mexico are not limited to Mexico itself. In fact, they have penetrated the social and economical aspects of both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.
“There are an inordinate number of sex offenders living in El Paso, in close proximity to the border bridge,” said Irasema Coronado of University of Texas in El Paso. “A number of these offenders are crossing the border freely, and remain unaccountable for the harm they inflict in Mexico.”
Coronado’s team has discovered a facility on Texas state land located very near the border crossing that is being used to house registered sex offenders. According to Coronado, the government pays an unaffiliated group to run the facility.
“People have a right to know that this city [El Paso] is being used as a dumping grounds for sex offenders,”
-said Coronado.
Within Ciudad Juarez itself, the social standards are far from adequate. Many people live in overcrowded areas with extremely high crime rates. These people also have very little access to basic services such as running water and health care. As many as 33 percent of the homes in Ciudad Juarez have only one bedroom.
“Ciudad Juarez offers only 7,000 of the 170,000 small children access to daycare. Only 30 percent of these children receive a preschool education,” said Hugo Almada of Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juarez.
The region is significantly lower in most areas social statistics when compared to the state of Chihuahua as a whole. In addition, a very high percentage of the families are being reconstructed, meaning that the male living in the home is not the father of the children. All of these factors combined create a social circumstance conducive to the domestic and other forms of violence that plague the city.
“Since 1990 there has been a transition in the drug trafficking industry from marijuana to more powerful and hazardous drugs like cocaine and heroine. Cocaine is no longer a drug for the rich, it is common on the streets,” Almada said.
With the increase and variation of drug trafficking the amount of violence and crime has skyrocketed. The Mexican Cartel is considered to now be more dangerous and having a larger network than ever before.
“This is an incredible situation. The fight against drug trafficking has only raised the price, thereby raising the violence,” said Almada. “We need a government in the city and the state that focuses on a social policy that will address the real issues that afflict us.”
Megan Gordon can be reached at Gordon.meg@gmail.com
