Being a feminist could cost you your life in Mexico

Feminism is not an agreeable concept everywhere, being a feminist could make one lose her life, at least such is the case of some Mexican women.

A Mexican woman, Nadia Vera was murdered simply because she was a feminist, demanding equal rights for women across the country, attending protests, staging plays and writing politically charged poems.

Vera, 32, with four other friends – one a journalist – were brutally raped and then shot in the head.

It’s unfortunate that they are not the only victim of such murder but it has been a re-occurring happenings in Mexico.

36 women’s rights activists have been murdered in Mexico in the past five years according to the National Network of Women Human Rights Defenders of Mexico. Their stories have been largely ignored by local media in Mexico. So is this really what women still have to face in 2015? Facing serious injury, intimidation and even death, just for speaking out about women’s rights?

A study found that in 2012 alone, there were 414 attacks against female human rights defenders in Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, with 118 of these taking place in Mexico. A massive 87% of these attacks were found to have been committed by the very people who were supposed to be protecting these women – police, government officials and the military.

Out of those, 60% were part of a series of attacks, while just 11% were isolated events.

It is surprising that standing up to one’s right and equality among genders is now a grievous crime that could make one lose her life in the process. It’s totally not surprising such is happening in country like Mexico, which is known for its organized crime related violence.

This act totally shows evils of patriarchy in the country and subduing women to be lower and inferior to them.

Being a feminist isn’t something one should be afraid of doing or living. Fighting for equal rights will continue despite the killings. The voice of women shouldn’t be subdued until there is justice.

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