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Young women targeted by criminals in city's Metro

After 15 victims filed complaints, Mexico City's authorities have identified the modus operandi of the criminals

Women have been reporting the attacks in social media for weeks - Photo: File Photo/EL UNIVERSAL
10/02/2019 |15:02Newsroom |
Redacción El Universal
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After at least 15 victims filed complaints, Mexico City's authorities have identified the modus operandi of the criminals , who operate in the city's Metro .

Authorities have found that they attack young women between 20 and 25 years , University students who travel alone and are distracted , usually on the phone .

These brave women who reported the attacks , including harassment, sexual assault, attempted kidnap outside the subway or nearby, are slim, light brown skin, and have long black hair .

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Based on the complaints, it's been established that the majority of the attacks take place between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m . when women are usually on their way to school or returning home.

The report also revealed that the kidnap attempts took place on Mondays , Wednesdays , and Fridays mostly; although three cases took place during the weekend.

According to public records, once the news spread and women reported the attacks, authorities identified the most dangerous subway stations : Candelaria, Coyoacán, Miguel Ángel de Quevedo, Potrero, and Centro Médico .

But despite having all this information, the authorities are yet to identify the criminal group responsible for the attacks.

Authorities are working to release the portraits of three criminals who match the description made by several women .

But kidnap attempts are not the only danger for women in the Metro. In 2017, the most recent data available, the most recurring sexual assaults in the Metro were fondling, taking pictures and video without consent, rubbing their genitals against a woman , and sexual comments , according to an investigation carried out by the Belisario Domínguez Institute .

Unfortunately, only in 32% of the cases of sexual harassment in the Metro , an investigation was launched, 2% filed a lawsuit, 2% issued a complaint, and 64% desisted from the lawsuit.

The days when the majority of the attacks took place were Tuesday and Friday , especially between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. The subway lines with the most open investigations are lines 3, 9, and 8.

In an interview with EL UNIVERSAL , the author of the research , Andrea Reyes , said she considers that not only is security in the platforms is important, as she noticed attacks also take place in the stairs .

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