Women Employees in Mexico's Courts and Federal Police Denounce Harassment to UN Rapporteur Anaiz Zamora Marquez - Proceso
go to original July 12, 2014

Rashida Manjoo, Special Rapporteur on violence against women (UN/Jean-Marc Ferré)

If the Mexican government acted with due diligence regarding the prevention, treatment, eradication and punishment of violence against women, then complaints of sexual and work harassment and assault would not be being submitted within public agencies, said Rashida Manjoo, Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women for the United Nations.

The UN expert visited the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) Thursday, where she listened to a group of workers from the judiciary and other branches of the federal government who reported the systematic harassment they face. She also met privately with the President of the Supreme Court, Judge Juan N. Silva Meza and later held a press conference in which she stressed that violence against women is a serious human rights violation.

After her statement, Carlos Pérez Vázquez, human rights coordinator and advisor to the President, workers from the Council of the Federal Judiciary, the Justice Center for Women (opening next in the state of Coahuila), the Federal Police (PF) and the Supreme Court itself took the floor to denounce before the Rapporteur the bullying, harassment and abuse of power against women to which they have been submitted in those agencies.

They said their accusations and criminal charges have not been listened to in their agencies. On the contrary, they reported that such complaintsl led to more aggression, so they asked the Rapporteur that she explain how to ensure access to justice and a gender perspective if officials of the federal and state agencies violate women.

Read the rest at Mexico Voices

Mexico Voices is a blogging endeavor aimed at raising the awareness of U.S. citizens regarding the destructive impact of the U.S. economic policy and the War on Drugs on Mexico — on its people, their economic and physical security and their human rights, on the nation’s dysfunctional justice system, and on the rule of law and Mexico’s fragile democracy. Visit the website at MexicoVoices.blogspot.mx.

We invite you to add your charity or supporting organizations' news stories and coming events to PVAngels so we can share them with the world. Do it now!