Target: Andrés Manuel López Obrador, President of Mexico
Goal: Support reforms that combat femicide and gender-based violence.
International Women’s Day marks the moment when women around the world gather to celebrate and to stand up for their rights. One year ago, women converged on Mexico’s national palace on this day to bring attention to what they say is a stunning lack of regard for women’s rights by the national government. They were greeted with metal fences, rubber bullets, and aggression from authorities that left dozens injured. But they have not given up the fight.
Every day, an average of ten women are murdered in Mexico. In one year’s time, over 3,700 women and girls were murdered. In a sizeable percentage of these cases, the investigations determined that the females were killed because of their gender. Despite the troubling stats, Mexico’s president has doubled down on his dismissal of gender-based violence, even claiming that the femicide rates were “manipulated a lot.”
These women deserve to be heard. Sign the petition below to demand Mexico’s leadership start listening.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear President López Obrador,
Since the rampage of Mexico’s “ripper” Francisco Guerrero, gender-based violence has remained the country’s dirty, open secret. Every day, 10 of your mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts, and grandmothers are murdered. Each of these numbers represents a life, and a life that cannot be dismissed as “media manipulation.”
While reforms have been made in the legal sector, these laws still remain limited, murky, and too lax in their enforcement. Leaders who sneer at the notion of femicide do not help reset the narrative and save lives, nor do female-led protests that end in bloody violence. Please do not step back into a machismo mindset. Acknowledge the epidemic of gender-based violence and fight for clear, lasting changes.
Most importantly, empower the human beings that represent more than half of your proud nation.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Anete Lusina
930 Signatures