Sorority
goes beyond gender solidarity, it refers to a sisterhood among women who support each other in the face of violence and discrediting attacks they have received from authorities, who are in charge of providing protection and justice . Sorority has also become the solution women have implemented to stay safe in Mexico .
Since federal, state, and local authorities do not provide security , they have forced Mexican women to find other options to protect each other through the creation of surveillance and support groups that emerged in universities but that now have extended beyond campus and provide aid to any woman who asks for help.
In recent months, women have been attacked by police officers and bus and taxi drivers . These attacks forced women to create a safety system. Through Whatsapp or Facebook , groups of women provide assistance when a woman is at risk; the one who is closer to the victim meets with her or offers her home as a safe place . This way, they share their location while others monitor the case and alert others in case a taxi driver takes another route or if they realize someone is following them.
A country where women mistrust authorities and avoid requesting help from them is certainly a failed state that is not able to provide security to its citizens and which is also, inefficient and is not trusted by those who should see officials as authorities who offer protection and should be respected.
It is remarkable that women organize themselves but it is alarming that the solution to eradicate gender violence is not provided by the government . Moreover, the fact that police officers are being questioned by women, it becomes urgent to review the structure of the police corps and the moral integrity of its members. Furthermore, federal and local authorities have to provide answers in regards to what are they doing to regain women's trust , either by fighting impunity but also by making the denouncing process easier and offering better quick reaction systems through mobile phones or panic buttons in public transport, streets, and public places.
gm
