Women Turned Away from U.S. and Mexico Face a Particularly Perilous Trip Home Lisa Nikolau - Humanosphere
go to original November 9, 2016

A woman cooking in Valle De Angeles, Honduras, one of the 'Northern Triangle' countries of Central America. (Nan Palmero/Flickr)

As an increasing number of migrant women from Central America’s ‘Northern Triangle’ – Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador – are deported from the U.S. and Mexico, the International Organization of Migration (IOM) recommends that governments make a better effort to consider gender in their repatriation processes.

Apprehension rates at the U.S. border indicate that the number of men, women and families fleeing the Northern Triangle this year has not abated. Women constitute a rising percentage of these migrants, which, combined with stricter Mexico and U.S. border policies, has led to an increase in deportations of women.

Last year, Mexico extradited 36,568 women from the Northern Triangle, compared to 7,081 in 2012, according to a study released last Thursday by the IOM. The U.S. deported 9,858 women from the Northern Triangle last year, compared to 6,749 in 2012.

Many of these women have been fleeing physical, social and economic violence in their home countries, which have some of the highest rates of homicide and femicide in the world. In El Salvador alone, the number of femicides increased 140 percent during the first third of 2016 compared to the same period last year.

The route is often perilous, particularly for women and minors. Humanitarian groups have repeatedly denounced sexual harassment, rape and other acts of gender-based violence against women passing through Mexico, and the IOM’s study finds that for every 10 migrant women, between six and seven are raped on the way. Women are also easier targets for human trafficking, kidnapping, extortion and other risks.

A recent study by Doctors Without Borders found that Central American migrants suffer from record levels of mental health problems upon reaching their destinations.

Read the rest at Humanosphere

Related: Over 180 Central American Immigrants Rescued in States of Tabasco and Zacatecas (Prensa Latina)

Related: Humanitarian Crisis on US-Mexico Border: Haitians Stranded by Policy (News Deeply)

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!