Mexico's 'day without women'
March 10, 2020
Thousands of women across Latin America took to the streets on Monday — the day after International Women's Day — to register their protest against increased gender violence and discrimination,
This strike, referred to by many as "a day without us," aimed to showcase a world where women disappear from society. Many Mexican women stayed away from their places of work.
Read more: Mexico murder rate reaches record high
"If women are worth nothing in Mexico, then Mexico will be left without what we produce and consume," read a statement by the groups who organized the strike.
On average, 10 women are murdered in Mexico every day. Anger over such gender-based violence reached the boiling point this year after the body of 25-year-old Ingrid Escamilla was found disfigured. In another notorious instance, 7-year-old Fatima Cecilia Aldrighett Anton was kidnapped from outside her school, only to be found dead in a plastic bag.
The streets of Mexico City were virtually empty even during rush hour on Monday, while public transport reserved for women was deserted. This was a stark difference from just the day before when close to 80,000 women came out on the streets of the city to reclaim public spaces.
Those who chose to take part in the strike included female students, office workers, government employees and others. Many women who went to work on Monday chose to wear a purple ribbon or article of clothing to showcase their solidarity to the cause of the strike.
However, for some women, staying at home was not an option.
"For me staying at home is not the solution — many women are mistreated in the home," said Berta, a restaurant employee who chose to come into work. "I think there are other ways of making changes in society as such educating men."
Women in other Latin American countries, such as Argentina and Chile, also joined Mexico in staging a strike on Monday.
see/rc (dpa, AFP, AP)
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