The atrocious murder of Victoria Salazar, at the hands of the Tulum police authority in Quintana Roo, reveals several tragedies at the same time. On the one hand, it reminds us of the systemic violence suffered by people on the move, particularly women, and on the other, the precariousness in the training, capacity and operating protocols of the police at the local level. But we still don’t really address the issue.
Women are violated in all faces of the migratory phenomenon. First, in the place of origin, due to marginalization, structural, institutional and family violence that forces them to leave their country and their loved ones to save their lives. Second, in transit. One in three people is a victim of some type of physical violence during their journey through Mexico. Rape and sexual harassment affect migrant women nine times more than men. They are exposed to further abuse, mistreatment, stereotyping, extortion and trafficking. Nine out of 10 Central American women travel complex routes, exposing themselves to being victims of organized crime networks, sexual or labor exploitation and even death. Third, already in the country of destination, they continue to experience a double violation due to the fact of being women and being migrants. Discrimination, institutional abuse, episodes of domestic violence, lower wages, fear of being reported and losing custody of their children is part of the reality they must deal with.
We all fail Victoria. He was a permanent resident of Mexico for humanitarian reasons since March 2018. This means that his country failed him. The most common reason for obtaining this immigration status is the risk of losing your life in the country of origin, in this case El Salvador. His host country also failed him. The authority that had an obligation to care for her not only failed to do so, but killed and mistreated her, even after murdering her. The necropsy revealed a fracture in the spine and deceleration in the rotation of the neck due to the disproportionate use of the force to which it was subjected. Mexican society also failed him. Those who were close and were apathetic, those who tried to justify the atrocity with their supposed state of drunkenness, their migrant status or their alleged participation in drug dealing activities, those who made fun and those who announced their departure as a death and not like murder.
In Mexico, arbitrariness and the excessive use of force by the police happens over and over again, making visible the structural problems of these corporations. According to INEGI data, 98% of these authorities reported requiring greater training in the criminal justice system, in the peaceful resolution of conflicts, attention to vulnerable populations and proximity. According to INEGI’s ENSU, public trust in the Quintana Roo police, which incidentally, has a Single Police Command, is 38.9%, below the national average, which is 53.7%. In addition, the State Public Security Secretariat accumulated 196 complaints during 2020 and 15 so far in 2021 before the State Commission for Human Rights.
Justice for Victoria means going beyond public scandal, political statements, the arrest of those directly responsible and taking care of her daughters with comprehensive attention to repair the damage. It is going to the bottom of the situation and applying a true humanist policy on immigration. It is that the security forces, from the municipal police to the National Guard through the state police and law enforcement agencies, professionalize themselves and take the gender perspective seriously. It is not about a section of the corporation being called “gendered” or painting pink patrols as some have misunderstood. ALL items must have this capability. Strengthening and reforming the guiding professionalization program to improve training, teachers, and subjects related to the gender perspective, civic justice, and work with vulnerable populations should be part of the plan. It is to provide budgets and effective support schemes for police development while having external controls and evaluation. It is convenient for all of us to change things at the root.
Eunice Rendón has a PhD in Public Policy from Sciences-Po, Paris and expert in security and migration.
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source https://pledgetimes.com/we-all-fail-victoria-salazar/
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