04/11/14 (written by guest contributor Rebecca Gray) — Violence against women is on the rise in Mexico, and many experts say this escalation is directly related to the so-called war on drugs.
Throughout history, women have often been part of the “spoils of war,” suffering rape and other acts of brutality, including murder. Although not a war in the official sense, the war on drugs, which has been driven and supported by the United States, has spawned violence and brutality that is every bit as devastating as any officially declared war. And as is the case with those “real” wars, women are all too often the targets.
A March 9, 2014 article on the Americas Program web site notes that women’s and human rights organizations in Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras have reported a clear correlation between public expenditures of U.S. foreign aid for security and counter-narcotics programs, and violence against women. It could be said that the war on drugs presents yet another example of history repeating itself, for the United States has a long history of intervening in and manipulating the internal affairs of Latin American countries. (See Geopolitical Monitor for more.)
This is not to insinuate that intervention from the United States or any other foreign power is solely to blame for the escalation in violence against women in Mexico. Several internal cultural, legal, and political factors have contributed to the phenomenon as well. According to the report, there are three major factors driving the increase in violence against women in Mexico.
1. Increased militarization, due in large part to the war on drugs
In June of 2012, Nobel Peace Laureates Jody Williams and Rigoberta Menchú, reported:
The war on drugs in Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala has become a war on women. Efforts to improve ‘security’ have only led to greater militarization, rampant corruption and abuse within police forces and erosion of rule of law. Ultimately, it has resulted in a crisis of insecurity where no one is safe.
These declarations are validated in a report by the Mesoamerican Working Group (MAWG), published in January 2014 on the Americas Program site. The report noted:
Along with a rise in generalized violence, we found a significant rise in violence against women, particularly femicides. This increase correlated with greater militarization in all three countries examined. Under recent U.S.-supported policies, security forces have frequently perpetrated acts of violence against women and women human rights defenders have been specifically targeted. These alarming trends not only directly affect women, but also serve as a barometer of human rights and stability.
MAWG reported that its findings raise serious concerns about increased U.S. military influence and presence in the region, as well as concerns about expanded national military and police activities that have taken place under the guise of the war on drugs.
2. Widespread corruption and complicity with organized crime
The war on drugs has contributed to an expansion in military and police activities in Mexico. According to the March 2014 Americas Program piece, many of the military as well as the police are corrupt and are in the pockets of the very cartels that they claim to be fighting. A 2012 survey of women human rights defenders from Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador found that the majority who had received threats or attacks reported that the state itself was suspected to be responsible. The authors of this piece wrote:
This raises serious questions regarding the U.S. support to security forces and government institutions for rule of law that forms the backbone of U.S. security aid. The corruption, discrimination, disregard, and complicity with organized crime found within the ranks of the police and armed forces in these countries heightens the dangers for women. With high desertion and corruption, military equipment and specialized training often passes into the hands of organized crime.
3. Discrimination and misogyny inherent in Latin American culture
In cultures where women are traditionally held in lower regard than men are—and this certainly includes Latin American societies—crimes against women can be particularly brutal. Mexico is one of those countries where, as the Americas Program notes, discrimination against women continues to permeate all levels of society, both public and private. As a consequence, women are more vulnerable to many kinds of violence, ranging from sex trafficking and domestic violence to targeted retaliations.
Rape and sexual abuse of women by the armed forces and police have also been a problem. (See Justice in Mexico’s 2012 report on military human rights abuses based on data from Mexico’s National Human Rights Commission, CNDH, for more). Sexual torture and murder of women are sometimes used by drug cartels to send warnings to rival cartels. And there have been targeted threats and attacks on women human rights defenders who speak out against the violence.
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In a milieu of violence and lawlessness, nobody is really safe; obviously this is not just a problem for women. In many cases, however, women in particular are being targeted, and it is a problem that is growing worse. The U.S. needs to closely evaluate the role it has played, however unwittingly, in the violence. As the MAWG report noted, there is an urgent need to review and remedy programs and spending priorities.
Author Byline:
This guest post is contributed by Rebecca Gray, who writes for background check. She welcomes your comments at her email id: [email protected].
