• America.Two of those arrested for the rape of tourists in Mexico, involved in another aggression
  • Abuses. From "Apostle" of Mexico to fallen angel for sexual abuse of minors

Two similar events, which occurred in less than 10 days in the Mexican capital, raise the outrage of the feminist movement against the alleged police abuses that the Mexican Prosecutor's Office has not yet managed to resolve. The first took place at dawn on August 3, when a 17-year-old girl reported to the Prosecutor for Sexual Offenses that she had been raped by four police officers while returning from a party in the Aztapoztalco delegation, north of the city. According to the complaint, when she was a few meters from her house, a police patrol was placed next to her and they forced her into the vehicle to remove her clothes and rape her in turns.

Since then, the conduct of the capital's authorities has been rather erratic. Initially, at least 10 agents operating in the area at the time of the tragedy were summoned to testify, but none of them has been formally charged. Before they must be identified by the minor attacked in a reconnaissance wheel that has not yet occurred. Therefore, on August 9, the Secretary of Public Security of Mexico City, Jesús Orta, defended the decision to keep the agents indicated in the streets, since "they cannot violate their labor rights." Hours later, the head of government of the capital, Claudia Sheinbaum, stepped up to clarify Orta's information: "They do not return to their functions; all the research is being done. We have always said that in these cases we will be on the side of Justice. "

The same day that these declarations of authorities of the capital were registered, in the historical center of the city, another alleged violation of a minor was registered at the hands of a policeman. A 16-year-old girl, named Estefanía, reported being a victim of sexual assault in the bathrooms of the Museo Archivo de la Fotografía. Edgar Bertín, 25, a police officer who guarded access to the facilities, was later identified by the young woman as his assailant. The agent rejected any abuse and insisted that everything had been a "consensual act." However, after identification, Edgar was arrested and transferred to the Eastern Prison and remains there pending trial.

In the midst of this tense atmosphere, hundreds of protesters went on Monday to the call of feminist groups to protest, first, in front of the police headquarters of Mexico City and, later, before the Attorney General's Office, where they demanded to be received by the competent authorities The one in charge of trying to calm the spirits was Jesús Orta, who had to leave a few minutes after being sprayed by the protesters with pink powders. The tension was increasing until a small group of participants in the protests managed to forcefully enter the offices of the Attorney General's Office, breaking the glass doors, some computers and filling the walls of the graffiti reception.

Hours later, at a press conference, Claudia Sheinbaum denounced the violent attitude of the protesters: "This is a provocation. They wanted the government to use violent methods just like the ones they used, and we will not fall into provocations for any reason." Sheinbaum also defended the attitude adopted by his government in the face of this aggression: "There could have been a major escalation of violence if we had intervened. And that is what we do not want and will never do, because our conviction is that there must be justice, but when we see that there is an obvious provocation, we are also responsible. "

While the two cases of rape of minors are investigated, the pressure of feminist movements continues to increase in a country that leads the ranking of aggressions or murders of women in Latin America. According to the latest data, nine women are murdered every day throughout the country and there are 99 complaints on average for sexual crimes (either for abuse or rape). This sad statistic is also increasing in Mexico City, during 2018 there were 782 complaints of violation, 124% more than the previous year. The growing insecurity is also encouraged by great impunity. As reported by the Executive Commission for Attention to Victims, of every 100 cases of sexual assault, only six become denounced and only two finally result in firm convictions against the aggressors.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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  • Mexico
  • Sexual aggressions
  • Feminism

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