MADRE Urges Vicente Fox to Investigate Violence Against Women in Juarez and Chihuahua, Mexico
November 5, 2003 – New York. Coinciding with a meeting between Mexican President Vicente Fox and the families of the women who have been raped and murdered in Juarez and Chihuahua, MADRE, an international women’s human rights organization, sent a letter to President Fox urging him to investigate and prosecute those crimes immediately. The following is a copy of the letter to Mr. Fox.
To the Honorable President Vicente Fox,
MADRE, an international women’s human rights organization with special consultative status at the United Nations, commends your decision to address the crisis of the unsolved murders of over 300 women in Juarez and Chihuahua, Mexico. While this meeting is long overdue, we are hopeful that the occasion signals the commitment of the Mexican government to fulfill its obligations under international law to exercise due diligence in the prevention, investigation, prosecution and punishment of acts of violence against women.
Your government has the ability to bring these murders to a halt and, indeed, to take significant steps to eradicate violence against women. For the past ten years, failure to solve the Juarez and Chihuahua murders has sent a signal that poor women can be abused and murdered with impunity. We are hopeful that your intervention today marks the start of a concerted effort on the part of your government to bring justice to the women of Mexico.
Sincerely,
Vivian Stromberg Monica Aleman
Executive Director Latin America Program Coordinator
MADRE is an international women’s human rights organization that works in partnership with women’s community-based groups in conflict areas worldwide. Our programs address issues of sustainable development, community improvement and women’s health; violence and war; discrimination and racism; self-determination and collective rights; women’s leadership development; and human rights education. MADRE works in partnership with Elige, a youth organization in Mexico, to address issues of impunity relating to the Mexican authorities and to demand justice for the women who have been raped and murdered in Juarez and Chihuahua.
