A study by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) published this Monday reveals that gender violence is a constant experience for migrant women.
Under the title Facing risks of gender violence in Mexico: the perspective of people forced to fleethe document highlights that all the women who participated in the study expressed having experienced some type of violence. In many cases, gender violence was the reason for leaving their country of origin and, in others, their main reason for wanting to leave Mexico.
The experiences were about all types of gender violence: rape, physical assault, sexual assault, forced marriage or unions, denial of resources or services, and psychological or emotional abuse; In several cases, two or more types of violence were experienced.
Published within the framework of the 16 days of activism against gender violence, the agency prepared the study based on interviews with female survivors and focus groups with women and men in mobility situations.
Thus, it compiles the perspective of people in the process of regularization, refugees and those in need of international protection on gender violence, as well as the risks they face on their journeys and in Mexico. People also shared mechanisms for coping with those risks, as well as the services they know about to seek help.
Victims of organized crime
In many cases, women traveling alone, with children or adolescents, or in groups across the southern border are intercepted by members of organized crime and face some form of sexual violence, kidnappings for ransom, or, in cases where the woman is separated or isolated , of riotous rapes.
In other cases, the perpetrators work in the transportation sector.
The report indicates that people in an irregular situation, who have not accessed the asylum system, encounter greater risks of exposure to gender violence. Distrust causes them to approach response services less frequently.
However, refugee claimants and refugees indicated that it was easier to access these services by coming into contact with authorities and organizations.
The men who participated in the evaluation also shared experiences of gender violence, especially related to incidents of kidnapping by organized crime.
A migration process full of fear and anxiety
All participants rated their mobility experiences as filled with fear and anxiety.
They acknowledged using different mechanisms to protect themselves from violence, such as using contraceptive methods, traveling with the perpetrator of family violence as a form of protection, maintaining relationships with men they meet along the way, submitting to sexual assault to protect their daughters and change location or route when the perpetrator of violence locates the women, among others.
Humanitarian organizations and government entities such as Women’s Justice Centers and Women’s Institutes are key spaces to receive assistance, according to the participants.
The report concludes that Formal and fairly paid work is the main way to overcome the mobility process and violent experiences.
Therefore, the agency recommends providing documentation to work temporarily and greater facilities for the recognition of their university degrees or certifications, among other measures.
In Mexico, the agency works hand in hand with specialized partners, allied organizations and key government institutions to strengthen the attention and response to gender violence for applicants, refugees and people with international protection needs and seeks to continue this work in 2025.
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