Receipt date: 02/10/2023 / Revision date: 19/02/2024 / Acceptance date: 26/03/2024

Introduction

The impact of violence in terms of health and society is of great magnitude. This phenomenon causes a significant number of deaths per day, particularly among young people and minors. In addition to these deaths, a considerable number of people, regardless of gender and age, experience injuries, disabilities and health problems as a result of violent acts.

For this reason, the problem of violence against women has generated multiple proposals and measures for its prevention, attention, punishment and eradication. Although this problem has been persistent in society, in recent times it has begun to become more evident and to lose its naturalized character. From a gender perspective, it is recognized that violence against women originates in social construction, and in this sense, different sectors of society have a role in changing these conditions. Governments and the implementation of public policies can play a significant role in this process. Gender mainstreaming is considered an important tool to address inequalities in access to opportunities between men and women and to ensure equality.

Methodology

It focuses on carrying out a descriptive research which consists of compiling detailed data about the origin and evolution of gender violence in Mexico, as well as the laws and policies that help to combat it in the country. Gathering information will be useful to understand the problem and in turn reveal whether the legislation and government actions taken to combat it are sufficient.

Results

The results obtained from this research article can be focused on the statistics consulted which mark, according to the sources of consultation, that in the country in all the states of the republic 385 investigation files were opened in cases of femicides officially, also, it was understood that from 2015 to 2022 there was an increase of 98.68% of violent deaths, which, as understood not all were opened to an investigation file. The conclusion is that not enough has been done by the State to find solutions and reduce these figures. 

Background

Definition of gender violence

Gender-based violence can be said to refer to any action intended to cause harm to an individual based on his or her gender. This type of inequity arises from harmful conventions, abusive exercise of authority and discrepancies in gender distribution.

Gender inequality represents a flagrant infringement of fundamental human rights; at the same time, it becomes a welfare and protection dilemma that threatens integrity. It is estimated that one in three women will face some type of physical or sexual aggression during their life cycle. When in situations of emergency and displacement, the likelihood of women and girls being victims of gender inequality increases significantly.

To reinforce the idea, the opinion of UN Women (2020) is widely considered, where the website explains that violence directed towards female individuals and young women represents one of the most widespread violations of the inherent rights of humanity at the global level. Countless incidents of this nature are recorded daily in all corners of the globe. This type of harassment has far-reaching physical, economic and psychological consequences for women and girls, both in the short and long term, as it hinders their ability to participate fully in society on an equal footing. The scope of this impact, both on the lives of individuals and their families, as well as on society as a whole, is overwhelming. The circumstances created by the global health crisis, including confinement, limited mobility, increased isolation, increased stress and economic uncertainty, have led to an alarming increase in acts of violence against women and girls in private settings, while increasing the vulnerability of women and girls to other forms of violence, from spousal bonding in childhood to sexual harassment in cyberspace. In this section of common queries, we provide a general synopsis of the multiple categories of aggression that any gender equality advocate who wishes to work effectively in this field must be proficient in handling.

Within the UN Women website (2020) argues about one type of physical violence, which is known as abuse in the domestic sphere or intimate partner violence, involves any series of actions aimed at securing or maintaining supremacy and dominance over an intimate partner. Involves any conduct of a physical, sexual, emotional, financial, and psychological nature (including threats of such conduct) that exerts influence over another person. It is one of the most common manifestations of violence suffered by women globally.

Aggression towards women and girls in the private sphere may include:

1. Financial violence: It involves gaining or attempting to gain absolute control over another person's financial resources, hindering their access and prohibiting their employment or education.
2. Psychic violence: It involves generating fear through intimidation, threats of physical harm to the person, their partner or their children, as well as their pets and possessions. It also includes subjecting the person to psychological abuse and forcing the isolation of the person from friends, family, colleagues or school.
3. Emotional violence: It includes undermining self-esteem through persistent criticism, underestimation of capabilities, name-calling or other verbal abuse. It also affects the couple's relationship with their children and may prevent the couple from interacting with family and friends.
4. Physical violence: It encompasses causing physical harm to a partner by hitting, kicking, burning, grabbing, pinching, pushing, slapping, pulling hair, biting, denying medical attention or forcing the consumption of substances such as alcohol or drugs, as well as the application of any other type of physical force. This could include property damage.
5. Sexual violence: It encompasses coercion of a partner to engage in sexual acts without his or her consent.

Gender violence in Mexico

According to the website IEP Mexico (2021) gender violence within the country:

Recent years have seen a growing social awareness of gender violence in Mexico. Among other factors, this is due to the consistent increase in the levels of family violence and sexual violence throughout the country, as well as the growing prevalence of the crime of femicide - that is, the gender-based murder of a woman.

In early 2020, several high-profile femicide cases, including the murder of a minor, sparked widespread protests across the country. According to ACLED data, there were approximately 359 demonstrations against gender violence in Mexico in 2020, an increase of 76% over the previous year. Most of these demonstrations occurred in March 2020, when tens of thousands of women across the country participated in a nationwide strike.

On the other hand, INEGI (2021) explains in an article that:

In 2021, nationwide, of all women aged 15 years and older, 70.1 % have experienced at least one incident of violence, which can be psychological, economic, patrimonial, physical, sexual or discrimination in at least one area and exercised by any aggressor throughout their lives.

Psychological violence is the most prevalent (51.6 %), followed by sexual violence (49.7 %), physical violence (34.7 %) and economic, patrimonial and/or discriminatory violence (27.4 %).

While, from October 2020 to October 2021, 42.8 % of women aged 15 years and older experienced some type of violence, psychological violence is the most prevalent (29.4 %), followed by sexual violence (23.3 %), economic, patrimonial and/or discrimination violence (16.2 %) and physical violence (10.2 %).

The above paragraphs confirm the opinion of one author who says that the problem of abuse of women in Mexico persists, unfortunately, and is often underestimated. In today's environment, characterized by violence and lack of security, the fragility of a broad swath of society is intensifying. This is why it is imperative to address the structural roots that maintain the gender problem in the nation (Avilés, 2012).

The problem of violence against women, derived from its underestimation in the social and cultural context, raises concerns at both the national and international levels. Although measures have been implemented to safeguard their rights and alter social perception, the progress achieved in 2012 with the criminalization of femicide is only an initial step. Governmental actions and judicial regulations are not enough; a profound transformation is required in the culture rooted in our society, particularly the influence of patriarchy, which is especially prevalent in the Latin region. Latin America has alarming rates of femicides largely due to this ideology that promotes male superiority and underlies gender-based violence against women. The revision and modification of this ideology would allow all individuals, regardless of gender, to exercise their rights and freedoms autonomously, promoting a society that guarantees protection and respect for women.

According to the author, considerable progress has been made in recognizing the existence of gender violence by classifying femicide as a specific crime. Through outreach to combat it, it has moved out of the private sphere and become an issue of public concern. It has evolved to be a matter subject to legal regulation and is among the main concerns globally. Although it persists in Mexican society, manifested in advertisements that objectify women, news headlines about disappearances and deaths of women, and gender-based wage disparity, public perception of this issue has changed significantly. Now it is repudiated, whereas before it was considered normal. It is currently classified as a separate crime, generating public demonstrations of protest in response to abuses or deaths of women and girls, accompanied by marches and campaigns to promote reporting and improve women's safety, both by the government and society in general. Discrimination against women, which implies the deprivation or limitation of their rights due to their gender, is evident in social network platforms and other mass media through near real-time information on kidnappings and femicides. However, a significant change in mentality and the consolidation of values that promote equal respect for all members of society has not yet been achieved.

For Sánchez de los Monteros (2020) in Mexico, specifically, both male and female persons contribute to and promote acts of violence against female persons by following the cultural models transmitted by the education they have received. This is reflected in the way they educate their offspring and adopt machista roles in their family nucleus, where the practical belief prevails that women have the responsibility to serve and take care of household chores and childcare. Women are often limited in their opportunities to access education, develop personally and seek employment outside the home. Their voices, opinions and efforts to excel are minimized. This same ideology is what leads many women not to report acts of violence, in part due to the fear of possible reprisals and the re-victimization they might suffer when filing a complaint. If the violence is recurrent, it is often extremely difficult for them to escape from the situation, as they may justify it by thinking that it will not happen again or that they provoked it with their behavior. Patriarchal ideology is still dominant in our culture, which places all of us in socially defined roles that are difficult to abandon. Every advance towards a more equitable gender ideology, such as when a woman files a complaint or exercises her right to live free of violence, involves considerable effort. This effort translates into leaving behind patriarchal beliefs and attitudes, despite social pressures, and facing laws that are not always favorable to women

Origins and Evolution of Gender Violence in Mexico

According to the article by Alunecer (2010), in order to detect violence against women in the historical context of Mexico before the arrival of the colonizers, there are no primary sources other than the narratives contained in the writings of Fray Bernardino de Sahagún, specifically in his work "Historia General de las cosas de la Nueva España", which is preserved in three languages: Nahuatl, Spanish and Latin, in the Florentine Codex. This source may provide some insight into the situation of girls and women at that time. Sahagún recounts the birth of a baby girl and the rite of welcome that surrounds her: "My daughter, and my lady, you have already come into this world. Behold, we have sent our Lord, who is in every place. You have come to the place of weariness and the place of toil and the place of congoxas, where it is cold and windy. Note, my daughter, that the middle of your body I cut and take your navel, because so commanded and ordered your mother and your father Yoaltecuhtli, who is the lord of the night, and Yoaltícitl, who is goddess of the baths. You have been inside the house, like the heart inside the body."

The distinction was manifested from the very moment of birth, since, if the newborn was a boy, it was celebrated with great joy, while, if it was a girl, the midwife, upon receiving her, cut her umbilical cord under the bonfire, pronouncing these words: "You are not to go out of the house. You must not be in the habit of going anywhere. You are to be the ashes with which the fire is covered in the hearth. You must be the trivets where the pot is placed. In this place our lord buries you. Here you have to work. Your job is to fetch water and grind corn on the metate. There you shall sweat, by the ashes and by the hearth".

Alunecer (2010) says in the article that sexual violence becomes more evident during the period of the Conquest, as it brought with it a brutal aggression towards women, who became part of the war plunder. The initial miscegenation in the 16th century was mostly the result of extreme sexual violence. During this period, women were victims of rape, non-consensual unions, extramarital relations and, in some cases of women of the indigenous nobility, marriages that were unfavorable for them.

In the newly born New Spain, which combined the traditions of both cultures characterized by the submission of women, women were obliged to obey their husbands completely in exchange for sustenance and presumed "protection" in the family sphere. Although the Catholic Church imposed fidelity and shared responsibility for the upbringing of children, in practice this was not always enforced. Women were considered physically inferior and were denied many rights and responsibilities. They were also seen as mentally inferior to men, and the supposed "protection" meant that, from a legal point of view, their perpetual minority status was perpetuated: husbands had absolute control over the economic transactions of their wives, unmarried daughters and widowed mothers. In general, women could not participate in public activities without the approval and presence of men. Fathers were the guardians of their children and mothers were guardians only in the event of the father's death, as long as the father had not previously designated another person to assume this responsibility.

According to an article by Páez (2011), although violence against people is by no means a novel phenomenon, since it has an undeniable historical antecedent in patriarchal contexts, its recognition and visibility, which implies a change in its perception from a private matter to a problem of a social nature, is relatively recent. Certainly, most individuals are aware of situations of mistreatment, whether in the family or in the community, but these have been silenced under the pretext of considering them as private matters. Since ancient times in the evolution of human culture, a relationship of subordination of one gender to another has always prevailed. This phenomenon has not only been limited to the conception of the inferiority of one gender in relation to the other, but has surpassed the limits of rationality, even manifesting itself through aggressive behavior, supported by the patriarchal system and subsequently endorsed by subsequent societies, thus giving shape to the already deep-rooted and globally recognized gender violence.

Discrimination against people in society represents the earliest known form of exploitation, even preceding slavery. There are numerous ancient examples illustrating inequalities and discrimination against people, some of which date back to 400 BC.

Description of the Main Laws and Government Actions Related to Gender Violence in Mexico

The following are a series of articles related to gender violence within the country. According to ECLAC (2017)

The last amendment in 2020 of the General Law on Access of Persons to a Life Free of Violence includes the incorporation of gender-based political violence, which is defined as any action or inaction, including tolerance, based on gender aspects and exercised in the public or private sphere, which has the purpose or result of restricting, eliminating or weakening the full exercise of the political and electoral rights of one or more persons, the ability to fully exercise the functions inherent to their position, work or activity, the free performance of the public function, decision making, freedom of association, as well as the access and exercise of prerogatives, in the case of pre-candidacy, candidacy, functions or similar public positions.

On the other hand, within the same ECLAC article (2017) the Observatory for Gender Equality in Latin America and the Caribbean's repository of regulations on violence currently includes more than 380 sets of regulations, categorized by nation, from 38 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as legislation from Spain and Portugal related to this area.

The content ranges from legislation on violence in family or domestic settings, known as first generation regulations, to the most contemporary regulations on comprehensive protection against gender-based violence against women (GBV), with their recent adaptations and adjustments, present in 13 Latin American countries. It also includes regulations that criminalize femicide in 17 Latin American countries, in addition to legislation related to sexual crimes, harassment in the workplace, specific regulations on street harassment and the dissemination of intimate content through electronic media. There are also laws addressing harassment and political violence against women in the Plurinational State of Bolivia and Peru, which are unique in the region.

The repertoire also includes regulations defining and criminalizing human smuggling and trafficking in persons, regulations complementing laws on violence against women, and norms establishing the creation of specialized agencies in various areas of the State.

General Law on Women's Access to a Life Free from Violence

According to the website Secretaría de las Mujeres (2021):

The purpose of the General Law on Women's Access to a Life Free of Violence is to establish coordination between the Federation, the Federal Entities, the Federal District and the municipalities to prevent, punish and eradicate violence against women, as well as the principles and modalities to guarantee their access to a life free of violence that favors their development and well-being in accordance with the principles of equality and non-discrimination, as well as to guarantee democracy, integral and sustainable development that strengthens the sovereignty and democratic regime established in the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States.

This law mentions the guiding principles for the access of all women to a life free of violence, which must be observed in the elaboration and execution of federal and local public policies:

I. Legal equality between women and men.

II. Respect for the human dignity of women.

III. Non-discrimination.

IV. Women's freedom.

The different types of violence are explained on the website, and this information is shown below:

1. Emotional Violence - encompasses behaviors that disrupt psychological balance, including neglect, possessive behavior, hurtful comments, belittling remarks, contempt, detachment, infidelity, destructive criticism, exclusion, apathy, harmful comparisons, denial of autonomy and threats, with results that can lead to depressive states, social isolation, erosion of self-esteem and even extreme situations.
2. Physical Violence - Comprises intentional actions that cause bodily harm through the use of physical force or objects, resulting in visible or invisible injuries.
3. Property violence - Involves acts or omissions that affect the victim's survival, including manipulation, theft, destruction, retention or diversion of belongings, personal documents, assets and economic resources intended for the victim's needs, including damage to common or personal property.
4. Economic Violence - Refers to any conduct by the aggressor that undermines the financial stability of the victim, including restrictions aimed at controlling her income and wage discrimination in the workplace.
5. Sexual Violence - Involving acts that degrade or damage the physical and sexual integrity of the victim, violating her freedom and dignity, this form of abuse of power reflects gender supremacy by objectifying and denigrating the assaulted person.
6. Other similar forms that violate the dignity, integrity or freedom of persons, regardless of gender.

According to an amended Paragraph of DOF 20-01-2009, 11-01-2021, 29-04-2022, published in an article of the Chamber of Deputies (2023):

ARTICLE 1.- The purpose of this law is to establish coordination between the Federation, the federal entities, the territorial districts of Mexico City and the municipalities to prevent, punish and eradicate violence against women, adolescents and girls, as well as the principles and mechanisms for full access to a life free of violence, as well as to guarantee the enjoyment and exercise of their human rights and strengthen the democratic regime established in the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States.

Gender Violence Against Women Alert

The Instituto Nacional De Las Mujeres (2019) says in its article that the Gender Violence Alert Against Women (AVGM) is a mechanism that protects women's human rights, unique in its approach globally. It is established in specific legislation, the General Law on Women's Access to a Life Free of Violence, and its activation and application process is described in the regulations related to this law.

This is a set of emergency governmental measures aimed at addressing and eradicating gender violence, especially femicide, as well as any situation that results in an aggravated comparison that hinders the full exercise of women's human rights in a given region, whether a municipality or a federative entity. This violence can be perpetrated by individuals as well as by the community itself.

The central purpose of the gender violence against women alert is to ensure the protection of women and girls, put an end to violence directed against them, and eliminate inequalities that may be caused by laws or public policies that violate their human rights.

On the other hand, the Comisión Nacional Para Prevenir Y Erradicar La Violencia Contra Las Mujeres (2020) says that the Gender Violence Alert against Women (AVGM) represents an exceptional approach in the fight against gender violence, especially femicide, which is the most serious manifestation of this violence directed against women, adolescents and girls. This phenomenon arises from the violation of their fundamental rights and the excessive abuse of power, both in public and private spheres, often resulting in social and state impunity. It is characterized by acts of hate and discrimination that endanger their lives, leading to violent deaths such as femicide, suicide, homicide or other forms of preventable deaths, as well as behaviors that seriously affect the integrity, safety, personal freedom and full development of women, adolescents and girls.

In cases of femicide, the penalties stipulated in the criminal laws in force are applied.

This mechanism reflects the federal government's commitment to human rights in general and women's rights in particular. It consists of a series of coordinated, comprehensive, temporary and emergency governmental actions, carried out in collaboration among authorities at all levels of government to address and eliminate feminicidal violence in a given geographic area. In addition, it seeks to eliminate the comparative injustice resulting from inequalities created by laws and public policies that impede the recognition or exercise of the human rights of women, adolescents and girls, in order to guarantee their full access to the right to a life free of violence.

Within the article it is mentioned that the Gender Awareness Activation process begins when:

I. At the request of autonomous government agencies in charge of human rights or international entities specialized in safeguarding human rights.

II. Through the petition of legally constituted groups in civil society or groups of people close to the victims, represented by an authorized delegate.

III. Based on the detection by the Entity for the Prevention of Gender Violence of the constant increase of incidents or crimes involving transgressions to the fundamental rights to life, liberty, integrity and well-being of women, adolescents and girls in a specific location or the presence of a comparative injustice.

It also specifies the information that the Gender Awareness Activation application must include, it is as follows:

I. Detailed account of the acts of violence committed against women, adolescents and girls, supported by verifiable documentation, official statistics, testimonies or other data supporting the allegations presented in the application.

II. Precise geographic area where the acts of violence are reported.

III. Mention of the authorities in charge of addressing the aforementioned violence.

IV. The other conditions of presentation established in the Regulations.

To complement, the content and issuer of the AVGM Declaration must have the following:

I. Motivational elements.

II. Supporting evidence.

III. Proposals for various actions addressing prevention, correction, security, justice, attention and reparation, in addition to regulatory adjustments suggested by the Interinstitutional Monitoring Group (GIM).

IV. A request to the relevant authorities to allocate or reorganize budget, personnel and material resources needed to deal with the situation.

V. Geographic area affected by the measures and, if applicable, the entities in charge of their implementation.

The Declaration originates from the central government sphere, under the umbrella of the Ministry of the Interior. The head of said Secretariat will officially communicate to the heads of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches, as well as to the entity in charge of prosecuting justice in the metropolitan areas of Mexico City or the municipalities of the state where the AVGM is enacted.

Once the Alert is notified, federal, state, municipal or local authorities should immediately and in collaboration with the GIM, carry out the Strategic Action Program to comply with the guidelines (Instituto Nacional De Las Mujeres, 2022).

General Law on Equality between Women and Men

Within an article of the National Institute of Women, the regulation in question seeks to establish and safeguard parity of conditions and equal treatment between individuals of different genders, proposing guidelines and institutional structures aimed at guiding the community towards the realization of effective equality in both public and private environments. Empowerment of women and resistance to all forms of inequality based on gender differences are encouraged. Its standards are of relevance to society and are generally complied with in all geographic areas of the country.

This law is made up of a series of articles which, according to Justia Mexico (2023), are as follows:

• Article 1. The purpose of this Law is to regulate and guarantee equality between women and men and to propose institutional guidelines and mechanisms to guide the Nation towards the fulfillment of substantive equality in the public and private spheres, promoting the empowerment of women. Its provisions are of public order and social interest and of general observance throughout the National Territory.
• Article 2. The guiding principles of this Law are: equality, non-discrimination, equity and all those contained in the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States.
• Article 3. The rights established by this Law apply to women and men who are in the national territory, who by reason of their sex, regardless of their age, marital status, profession, culture, ethnic or national origin, social condition, health, religion, opinion or different abilities, are at some kind of disadvantage in the face of the violation of the principle of equality that this Law protects. Violation of the principles and programs provided therein shall be punished in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Law of Responsibilities of Public Servants and, as the case may be, by the applicable laws of the Federal Entities that regulate this matter.
• Article 4. The provisions of the Federal Law to Prevent and Eliminate Discrimination, the Law of the National Human Rights Commission, the Law of the National Women's Institute, the international instruments ratified by the Mexican State and other applicable laws on the subject shall be applied in a supplementary manner and as appropriate.
• Article 5. For the purposes of this Law, the following definitions shall apply:

1. Affirmative actions: A set of temporary measures aimed at accelerating de facto equality between women and men.
2. Mainstreaming: This is the process that ensures the incorporation of the gender perspective in order to assess the implications for women and men of any action programmed in legislation, public policies, administrative, economic and cultural activities in public and private institutions.
3. National System - Sistema Nacional para la Igualdad entre Mujeres y Hombres (National System for Equality between Women and Men).
4. National Program - National Program for Equality between Women and Men.

The National Women's Institute (INMUJERES, 2007), in its informative article on general legislation regarding gender equality, in multiple aspects, formalizes the progress made in the fight against discrimination and in pursuit of parity between men and women in Mexico. Its relevance lies not only in its concordance with the fourth article of the Mexican Constitution and the adherence to international agreements agreed by Mexico, but mainly in the creation of a legal framework for collaboration and coordination among the three levels of government in order to guarantee real equality, eradicating all forms of discrimination based on gender differences, as indicated in the first article of this law.

To achieve this objective, the law specifically establishes three fundamental elements: the National System for Equality, the National Program for Equality and the supervision of compliance with these. In this system, the National Women's Institute (Inmujeres) leads the actions of the three levels of government, while the National Human Rights Commission is responsible for monitoring and evaluating the actions carried out by other public administration entities.

In accordance with the right to information, which is one of the six pillars guiding gender equality policies, Inmujeres presents the current edition of this document, with the aim of addressing the concerns generated by this law since its entry into force. For Inmujeres, disseminating a document of this nature among officials at the federal, state and local levels is an essential step towards achieving the goals established by this legislation. Knowing and reflecting on its content allows us to address the challenges posed by this law, the importance of which transcends the limits of the regulation itself.

National Program to Prevent, Address, Punish and Eradicate Violence against Women 2014-2018

According to the Comisión Nacional Para Prevenir Y Erradicar La Violencia Contra Las Mujeres (2014) the Comprehensive Program, disseminated on April 30, 2014, as part of national policies related to the promotion of rights, gender equity and violence against women, aims to ensure prevention, care and punishment to reduce risks related to gender violence, through institutional collaboration to strengthen national policy with a comprehensive approach.

This program contributes to the achievement of four national goals: "Mexico in Peace," "Prosperous Mexico," "Inclusive Mexico," and "Mexico with Quality Education," and to the horizontal strategy called "Gender Perspective," as established in the National Development Plan 2013-2018. It is also linked to various sectoral objectives present in the programs corresponding to the following sectors: Government; Labor and Social Welfare; Health; Education; Social Development; Agrarian, Territorial and Urban Development; Finance and Public Credit; and Communications and Transportation, in addition to the one related to the Attorney General's Office.

The article mentions that it also incorporates five goals, the purposes of which are as follows:

1. Promote the convergence of legislative norms and foster cultural changes to contribute to the absence of violence against women.
2. Ensure comprehensive prevention to reduce the risks associated with violence against women and girls.
3. Ensure the availability of comprehensive services for women and girls affected by violence.
4. Ensure women's access to justice through effective investigation, reparation and punishment.
5. Consolidate institutional collaboration in aspects related to the prevention, attention, punishment and elimination of violence against women.

These goals are deployed in 16 tactics and 118 specific actions that contribute to the assurance of human rights and the elimination of violence against women in our nation.

This global program involves the three levels of government, autonomous bodies and civil society, including initiatives to protect the rights of girls, indigenous women, women with disabilities, migrants, adolescents, the elderly and women deprived of their freedom.

Discussion

Thanks to the information gathered, it was possible to define that, in Mexico, gender violence represents a complex and unfortunate challenge that threatens on a large scale the cultural and social roots, as it brings with it negative and worrisome consequences for women and girls in the country. Legislation and government actions are not enough, as cases persist and show themselves in various forms. Statistics reveal an alarming prevalence of gender-based violence in the country, there is undoubtedly an increase in awareness and demand for change. However, the fight against gender-based violence is not limited to government policies; it implies a profound cultural change that challenges the gender norms ingrained in Mexican society. To effectively address gender-based violence in Mexico, an approach is needed that combines sound public policies, civil society participation and a concerted effort by all actors to change the entrenched attitudes and beliefs that perpetuate this problem. All of the above for the benefit of society itself.

Challenges and obstacles that generate a conflict of interest

The main conflict of interest, which has everything to do with the article in question, focuses on the mistreatment and discrimination that continues to be experienced in homes, because, although there are already laws and too much information, it is difficult for people to go for help, for fear that it would be counterproductive to express what their aggressor is committing. Therefore, it is considered necessary to carry out any type of investigation that will help to identify all those who remain silent within the home and continue to suffer this type of mistreatment.

According to the Comisión Nacional Para Prevenir Y Erradicar La Violencia Contra Las Mujeres (National Commission to Prevent and Eradicate Violence Against Women), both in Mexico and around the world, there are numerous challenges on the road to achieving genuine equality between people of different genders, which entails the elimination of violence directed towards them.

Wage disparity, unequal distribution of responsibilities related to unpaid work in the home, which falls predominantly on women and minors, violence in the workplace, early marriages, sexual harassment, entrenched gender stereotypes, practices, customs and traditions that perpetuate discrimination against these people, are just some examples of the challenges that hinder the access of women, girls and adolescents to a life free of violence and to the full realization of their rights under conditions of equality.

According to the Comisión Nacional Para Prevenir Y Erradicar La Violencia Contra Las Mujeres (2019), the disparities and inequalities experienced by women in Mexico are reflected in various spheres, such as education, employment, health and violence against them. Here are some illustrative figures:

1. Women make up slightly more than 50% of the enrollment in university and technological degree programs, but their presence predominates in social fields, such as education (74.4%) and health (67.0%). In technical areas, they do not even reach a third of the enrollment, with 28.7% in Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction and 32.2% in Natural, Exact and Computer Sciences.
2. Annually, there are about 10,000 births to underage mothers.
3. The economic participation rate for women is 43.8%, while for men it is 77.5%. In the case of indigenous women, this rate is slightly higher at 21%.
4. More than 53.2% of employed women do not have access to social benefits.
5. 25.3% of women 15 years of age and older who do not attend school have no income of their own, in contrast to 5.9% of men.
6. Women spend an average of 43.2 hours per week on domestic work and family care, while men spend only 15.8 hours, which is equivalent to one-third of the time spent by women on these tasks.
7. Unpaid work performed by women in their homes represents 17.5% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), while that of men is equivalent to 5.8%.
8. A total of 8.1 million married or cohabiting women (30.5%) experienced some incident of intimate partner violence in the past 12 months.

According to the México Social website (2018) the transformation of violence against individuals into a public sphere and into the realm of State responsibility is largely due to actions undertaken by organizations and movements at the global level. Through their efforts, it was revealed that violence directed toward individuals is not simply a result of occasional personal misconduct, but is deeply rooted in structures of inequality between different genders. Since the beginning of this century, the interaction between the promotion of the rights of individuals and the initiatives of the United Nations (UN) has been instrumental in promoting the consideration of violence against individuals as a human rights issue at the international level.

The bases of violence directed at individuals are to be found in the historical inequality of power relations between different genders and in the widespread discrimination that people face in the public and private spheres.

Violence against individuals manifests itself as a means for certain groups to maintain control over the autonomy and sexuality of others.

However, the various manifestations of this violence depend on factors such as ethnic background, socioeconomic status, age, sexual orientation, disability, nationality and religious beliefs.

Sexual harassment is a form of violence in which, although there is not necessarily a relationship of subordination to the aggressor, as can happen in work or educational environments, it is characterized by an abuse of power that generates vulnerability and risk for the victim.

Statistics on gender violence

As a complement, the following table shows the investigation files that have been opened in the country for the alleged crime of femicide, which, as is well known, is one of the most frequent cases of gender violence in the country and in the world.

Table 1

Femicide investigation files

Municipality/Mayor's Office	Entity	Folders
Guadalupe	Nuevo León	9
Juarez	Chihuahua	7
Ecatepec de Morelos	Mexico	6
General Escobedo	Nuevo León	6
Juarez	Nuevo León	6
Ensenada	Baja California	5
Monterrey	Nuevo León	5
Morelia	Michoacán	5
Tlalpan	CDMX	5
Benito Juarez	Quintana Roo	4
Cadereyta Jiménez	Nuevo León	4
Cienega de Flores	Nuevo León	4
Cuauhtémoc	CDMX	4
Salinas Victoria	Nuevo León	4
Tlalnepantla de Baz	Mexico	4
Valle de Chalco Solidaridad	Mexico	4
Aguascalientes	Aguascalientes	3
Atizapán de Zaragoza	Mexico	3
Center	Tabasco	3
Chihuahua	Chihuahua	3
Comitán de Domínguez	Chiapas	3
Cuernavaca	Morelos	3
Culiacan	Sinaloa	3
Gomez Palacio	Durango	3
Iztapalapa	CDMX	3
Lion	Guanajuato	3
Naucalpan de Juarez	Mexico	3
Saltillo	Coahuila	3
Tijuana	Baja California	3
Zapopan	Jalisco	3

Note. Retrieved from Instituto Nacional De Las Mujeres (2022).

Figure 1

Registration of alleged violent deaths of women by age group.

Note. Retrieved from Instituto Nacional De Las Mujeres (2022).

Conclusion

Violence is one of the most serious problems facing today's society, as it is present in the lives of many Mexican men and women. Fighting it is a hard and arduous task for people, however, imagining a country without violence in general is too comforting. With this research article, it was discovered that gender violence is a type of both physical and psychological violence exercised towards a person, commonly of the female gender. Such gender-based violence is of great concern because it can result in damage to the victim's health, whether physical, emotional or sexual, or even death. The issue of domestic violence represents a widespread challenge, as people may find themselves in situations of bewilderment if they suspect that someone is being abused. Also, some victims choose not to seek medical care for their injury due to fear of leaving the relationship with their abuser. In this sense, raising awareness becomes an imperative need.

Despite the advances, both in terms of social transformation and the creation of laws that support and help women and girls feel safer in the country, it is not enough, because even the cases of abuse and murders have increased over the years, the problem persists and manifests itself in various forms, from domestic violence and street harassment to systematic discrimination in the workplace and politics. Clearly the role of the state is crucial in promoting gender equality and public awareness of this issue.

References

Alunecer. (2010). La historia de la violencia contra las mujeres en México. [Blog]. Alunecer’s Blog. https://alunecer.wordpress.com/2010/03/11/la-historia-de-la-violencia-contra-las-mujeres-en-mexico 

Avilés, E. (2012). Violencia y feminicidios en México: la persistente preocupación del Comité CEDAW. CMDPDH. https://cmdpdh.org/2012/08/02/violencia-y-feminicidios-en-mexico-la-persistente-preocupacion-del-comite-cedaw/ 

Cámara de Diputados. (2023). Ley General de Acceso de las mujeres a una vida libre de violencia. Cámara de Diputados. https://www.diputados.gob.mx/LeyesBiblio/pdf/LGAMVLV.pdf 

CEPAL. (2017). Leyes, Leyes de violencia. Observatorio de Igualdad de Género de América Latina y el Caribe. https://oig.cepal.org/es/laws/1/country/mexico-16 

Comisión Nacional para prevenir y erradicar la violencia contra las mujeres. (2020). ¿Cuáles son las alertas de violencia de género contra las mujeres? Gobierno de México. https://www.gob.mx/conavim/articulos/cuales-son-las-alertas-de-violencia-de-genero-contra-las-mujeres-declaradas-en-mexico 

Comisión Nacional para prevenir y erradicar la violencia contra las mujeres. (2014). Programa Integral para prevenir, atender, sancionar y erradicar la violencia contra las mujeres 2014-2018. Gobierno de México. https://www.gob.mx/conavim/acciones-y-programas/programa-integral-para-prevenir-atender-sancionar-y-erradicar-la-violencia-contra-las-mujeres-2014-2018-24472 

Comisión Nacional para prevenir y erradicar la violencia contra las mujeres. (2019). Retos y desafíos de las mujeres en México #MesDeLaMujer. Gobierno de México. https://www.gob.mx/conavim/es/articulos/mes-de-la-mujer-retos-y-desafios-de-las-mujeres-en-mexico?idiom=es 

IEP México. (2021). Violencia de género. Mexico Peace Index. https://www.indicedepazmexico.org/violencia-de-gnero 

INEGI. (2021). Violencia contra las mujeres en México. Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática. https://www.inegi.org.mx/tablerosestadisticos/vcmm/ 

INMUJERES. (2007). Ley General para la Igualdad entre Mujeres y Hombres. Instituto Nacional de las Mujeres. http://cedoc.inmujeres.gob.mx/documentos_download/lgimh.pdf 

Instituto Nacional De Las Mujeres. (2019). Alerta de violencia de género contra las mujeres. Gobierno de México. https://www.gob.mx/inmujeres/acciones-y-programas/alerta-de-violencia-de-genero-contra-las-mujeres-80739 

Instituto Nacional de las Mujeres. (2022). Instituto Politécnico Nacional. Indicadores Básicos sobre la Violencia contra las Mujeres. https://www.ipn.mx/assets/files/genero/docs/difusion/Indicadores-basicos_25junio2022.pdf 

Instituto Nacional De Las Mujeres. (2022). Ley General para la Igualdad entre Mujeres y Hombres. Gobierno de México. https://www.gob.mx/inmujeres/documentos/ley-general-para-la-igualdad-entre-mujeres-y-hombres-259101?state=publishe 

Justia México. (2023). Ley General para la Igualdad entre hombres y mujeres. Ley General para la Igualdad entre Hombres y Mujeres. https://mexico.justia.com/federales/leyes/ley-general-para-la-igualdad-entre-hombres-y-mujeres/titulo-i/capitulo-primero/ 

México Social. (2018). Violencia de género: desafío inaplazable. México Social. https://www.mexicosocial.org/violencia-de-genero-desafio-inaplazable/ 

ONU Mujeres. (2020). Preguntas frecuentes: Tipos de violencia contra las mujeres y las niñas. ONU Mujeres. https://www.unwomen.org/es/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/faqs/types-of-violence 

Páez Cuba, L. D. (2011). Génesis y evolución histórica de la violencia de género. Contribuciones a las Ciencias Sociales. https://www.eumed.net/rev/cccss/11/ldpc.htm 

Sánchez de los Monteros Arriaga, A. C. (2020). La violencia de género en México, ¿en qué vamos? RDU UNAM. https://www.revista.unam.mx/2020v21n4/la_violencia_de_genero_en_mexico_en_que_vamos/ 

Secretaría de las Mujeres. (2021). Ley General de Acceso de las Mujeres a una Vida Libre de Violencia. Secretaría de las Mujeres. http://semujeres.edomex.gob.mx/servicios/ley-general-de-acceso-de-las-mujeres-a-una-vida-libre-de-violencia