1. Experiences of Crime and Attitudes Toward Human Rights in Mexico
David Crow
División de Estudios Internacionales
Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE)
Presented at the International Conference “Surveys and Human Rights: Local Reception of International Norms,” CIDE, November 12-13, 2015

2. Dilemma: Fight Crime or Protect Rights of the Accused?
“Los derechos humanos son de los humanos, no de las ratas.” Arturo Montiel, 1999 campaign

3. Dual Context Rising Crime & HR Violations
100k+ homicides, 25k forced disappearaces since drug war
Complaints against Army, Navy, police forces
Increased Commitment to Human Rights
legal / institutional / rhetorical
civil society
2008 criminal justice reform

4. Research Questions
Do people believe that human rights protect criminals?
Where are the people who believe this?
Does experience of crime (direct or indirect) incline people to believe this?

5. Data
Las Américas y el Mundo (CIDE) / Human Rights Perceptions Polls (UMinn)
Mexico (2012, )
Colombia (2013, 2015); Ecuador (2012, 2014)
HRPP (Morocco: 2012; India: ; Nigeria: 2014)
Data: Mexico
N = 2,400
160 municipalities
10-60 Rs in each

6. Definitions of Human Rights
“¿Qué tanto tiene que ver proteger a delincuentes___ con lo que usted entiende por derechos humanos?”
Scale of 1-7
1 = “not at all” 7 = “very much”
Liberal
“protecting people from torture and murder”
“promoting social and economic justice”
“promoting free and fair elections”
Skeptical:
“promoting U.S. interests”
“promoting foreign values and ideas”

7. Do Mexicans Believe Rights Protect Criminals?
Not really: Avg. = 2.7 (midpoint of 4)
Liberal view prevails:
Socioeconomic Justice (5.9)
Protection from torture (5.8)
Free and fair elections (5.2)

8. Geographical Distrubution
Municipal-level averages (SAE)
Northern states: avg. 1.4 pts. higher

9. Causes Crime: Politics:
Direct Experience: victimization (personal or family): murder, kidnapping, robbery/theft
Living in High Crime Area (homicide rates)
Drugs (number of cartels in municipality)
Politics:
Parties (% of municipal vote)

10. Homicides

11. Homicides
High-murder municipalities map onto high rights skepticism

12. Homicides Every additional 100 murders  ↑ 0.6 pts. San Fernando: 5.2
San Diego de la Unión: 2.8

13. BUT … No relationship so far to direct experience of victimization
Possible relationship to no. of cartels
weakens when controlling for murder rate

14. Useful for Advocates?
Diagnosis
Targetting
Messaging