In Mexico , seven femicides take place every day according to UN reports and figures from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights .
In the last four years, seven thousand women have disappeared in the country. Considering the violence and insecurity issues Mexican women face, several artists and civil society members have formed the collective El grito más fuerte (The loudest shout) and have recently uploaded the video #AlertaMujeresMX (WomenOnAlertMX), in which they share “some basic tips which could save our lives.”
Under the premise “no place in Mexico is safe if you're a woman,” actresses and journalists such as Dolores Heredia, Angélica Aragón, Susana Alexander and others have decided to alert society and promote safety, against what they deem the inaction of authorities.
This happens to women “of all ages and conditions and the authorities, what do they do? […] nothing, they aren't doing anything,” they claim.
Based on the “cards on survival and safety” of Lorena Wolffer, they are calling women to take some measures which promote self-defense and self-care:
1. Be aware of your surroundings.
2. Let someone close to you know your itinerary.
3. Keep your cell phone charged and with credit.
4. Walk in well-lit areas.
5. Try to walk accompanied.
6. Try to walk in the opposite direction of the traffic.
7. Avoid short-cuts in unknown or deserted areas.
8. Have your keys in hand and check your surroundings.
9. Park your car in well-lit and busy areas.
10. Lock your car doors the moment you get inside your car.
11. Avoid traveling in empty buses or subway wagons.
12. If someone is harassing you or is acting violently towards you, pull the emergency lever and shout.
13. Try to go accompanied to parties.
14. If you witness of another woman being in a violent situation, approach carefully and invite the assaulted person to get close to you.
With this campaign, the collective wants to promote a safe environment for all women along the Mexican territory.
The video #AlertaMujeresMX premiered within the context of the disappearance of the 19-year-old Political Science student Mara Fernanda Castilla, who was murdered by a chauffeur of the company Cabify when she got in his car.
After the findings of the Prosecutor's Office of Puebla and the confirmation of the state Governor, Tony Gali, on the murder of the young woman, the hashtag #SiMeMatan (If I'm Killed) resurrected – which went viral after the murder of Lesvy Berlín, in University City last May, as a protest mechanism to demand fact clarification and avoid the victimization of Mara Fernanda.
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