The Missing Women of Ciudad Juarez By: Liz Yordy

About Ciudad Juarez Border town Most violent city in the world 2008-2012 Drug trade, sex trafficking, satanic rituals, corrupt government officials, and narco-police Epicenter of female femicide since 1993

What drew them there? Abundant jobs from the new american companies Maquiladoras Poor women had to help pay for their families

Contributing factors Organized Crime and Drug Trafficking Maquila industry NAFTA- North American Free Trade Agreement Machismo and Marianismo Ideology

Organized Crime and Drug Trafficking Juarez is a hot spot for Mexican drug cartels Gangs are a permanent threat to these women, because they are poor and do not get institutional protection This issue was seen globally because of the lack of police and government action

Maquila Industry Foreign companies along the border that are known for cheap labor and exploitative conditions Saw woman as temp workers Increased the amount of women in the work force which threw off the balance of what men were used to

NAFTA Increase in maquiladora industry Increase in jobs for women 600% increase in female homicides since enacted in 1994-2001 Should be revised to have a human rights part

Machismo and Marianismo Ideology Machismo: characterized by male power and aggression Marianismo: characterized by subordinate and domestic gender roles Refrain from paid labor Those that seek employment challenge the idea of womanhood, which causes the men to retaliate.

Government inaction Thought to be working with the drug cartels, and were being paid off in different ways When pressured globally they rushed cases, and used questionable methods to get people to confess 100’s of cases and only 3 convictions, confessors said they were tortured until they agreed to say what they were told Women started to take matters into their own hands

Activist groups Made up of housewives, grandmothers, and mothers Marched multiple times Symbolic pink crosses indicate where dead were found Have demanded federal help from Vicente Fox Issue also presented in media and through hip hop artists

Ms. Chavez Founded Casa Amiga in 1998 First and only rape crisis center in the city Created due to the stories she heard from the women she met Organized rallies and wrote about victims before their was national attention Spurred the creation of a special commission to work on the murders

Batallones Femininos Hip hop collective aimed at uniting women against violence Uses their music to tell the stories of the women

Conclusion The conditions in Juarez have not changed much, women still get on the busses the same and they are still not given very good police protection Companies have said they would improve their security, but no measures have been taken yet The activist groups are not letting the women be forgotten The true reason behind the killings still remains a mystery though there are many speculations

Discussion Questions Which of the four contributing factors do you think is the biggest instigator of these murders? Do you think a reform of the mexican government is possible?