The following memo describes how women in the Mexican state of Chihuahua have been subjected to violence and abuse as a result of the Mexican government's counter-drug operations and the conflicts between drug trafficking organizations.
The Washington Office on Latin America together with the Center for Women's Rights (CEDEHM) based in Chihuahua, Mexico, wrote a memo today to the US Congress on how women in the Mexican state of Chihuahua have been subjected to violence and abuse as a result of the Mexican government's counter-drug operations and the conflicts between drug trafficking organizations.
While much public attention has focused on the extreme drug-related violence in Ciudad Juarez and the surrounding areas, less attention is placed on the impact that the massive military and police presence, combined with the violence of armed drug trafficking groups, has had on the civilian population. Through this memo, based on documentation from CEDEHM and Gustavo de la Rosa from the Ciudad Juarez office of the Chihuahua State Human Rights Commission, we highlight the different ways women have been subject to violence in the state, including sexual harassment at security checkpoints, the risks they assume in the search for justice for detained or disappeared family members, and how women are increasingly becoming targets in the battles between drug trafficking organizations.
To read the memo to the US Congress, click here .
