SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Almost 1,100 women have been murdered so far this year in Mexico, with 11 percent of those homicides taking place in the border state of Baja California, according to the National System of Public Security.
The numbers, however, sharply contrast figures provided by the Baja California Attorney General’s Office, which says only 10 murders against women have occurred in the state in 2024.
Baja California Attorney General María Elena Andrade Ramírez disputes reports of an increase in random violent acts or domestic violence against women.
“We haven’t seen an increase in aggressive behavior against women, there have been unfortunate incidents where we have found female bodies at crime scenes, but this is often associated with illicit activities or due to the women being involved with partners who had criminal ties,” she said.
Andrade Ramírez did admit an increase in the number of women reporting acts of violence.
She said so far this year, police have received almost 3,500 calls from women for domestic violence.
Meritxell Calderón Vargas, who runs a human rights group in Tijuana, says the state and the federal government aren’t doing enough to discourage violence against women.
“I see things getting worse,” she said. “At least before there was some dialogue with authorities on this issue, but now there are no concrete efforts to show any results.”
Calderón Vargas also stated there aren’t enough resources to help and provide support to women who are victims of violent crime.
“It’s not just about lowering the number of murders against women, but actually trying to lend help, especially when it comes to violence against migrant women and sex workers, cases that are often ignored and not investigated.”
Additionally, Calderón Vargas blames a sharp increase in drug addiction among women on inaction by state and local governments.
“Baja California remains one of the states with a growing number of drug use among women — there is also depression, loss of hope and dignified employment opportunities for women,” said Calderón Vargas. “There’s also a high number of women who are becoming addicted to crystal meth while working at maquiladoras where drug dealing has become a problem.”
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