In an ever-changing world where migration is an increasingly frequent reality, it is important to recognise and address the injustices that migrant women often face. In this regard, the WUCWO World Women's Observatory (WWO) has undertaken a project entitled: "Migrant women's access to justice in Mexico". Its objectives are: to understand the causes of migration, access to justice and the violation of rights of migrant women arriving in Mexico, in order to then seek to influence the network in some areas where there is still a gap to be filled.
Migration, by nature, is a complex phenomenon involving a variety of factors. However, migrant women often face a double vulnerability: that of being migrants and that of being women. Under the slogan "Listening to transform lives", the WWO, in collaboration with WUCWO member organisation: AMSIF (Asociación Mexicana para la Superación Integral de la Familia) and the Unión Femenina Católica Mexicana, has visited migrant women in 18 shelters, located in the Central, North and South regions of Mexico.
During these days, workshops on the rights of migrants were held, and anonymous surveys were administered to women to understand the reasons that motivated them to migrate and the difficulties or the challenges they might have faced in accessing justice during their transit or stay in Mexico.
These shelters are the first safe places that welcome thousands of women and their families, women who go in search of a dream, that of improving their quality of life and the lives of their loved ones. The reasons that compel them to leave their country of origin are many and varied; most of them are certainly linked to the economic conditions in which they live, but they are also linked to conditions of violence.
During our visits, we listened to women from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Colombia, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Brazil, Haiti, Ecuador, Panama, Nicaragua and Cuba. We witnessed many stories of suffering and overcoming, of journeys fraught with dangers, both natural and human, situations that no person should have to live through. There are stories of resilience and desperation, mostly in shelters in the North and South, that reveal the complexity of migration. The women's testimonies illuminate the difficult reality experienced by those seeking a better future and the sacrifices they face along the way.
Women's testimonies
Maria, (name used to protect the interviewee's identity), is a tangible example of how the economic crisis can displace once self-sufficient individuals. Her small food business, which represented her independence, was wiped out by adverse circumstances. Her gaze, full of sadness, is a reflection of many people who, despite their age and experience, are forced to start a new life in precarious conditions. Her expression of disbelief at finding herself in this situation, "I never thought that at this age I would have to walk here", resonates deeply.
Belén, (name used to protect the interviewee's identity), represents those who, despite fear and risk, decide to embark on a journey into the unknown. Her three-month journey, full of uncertainty, made her think about what she was willing to risk, and her determination to leave behind an unsustainable life shows admirable courage. The joy she experienced when she received news of an acquaintance who had crossed the border is testimony to the hope that drives many to continue their struggle.
Julia, (name used to protect the interviewee's identity), told us that the complications were not only in her country of origin. On arriving at the Guatemalan-Mexican border, She and her family were the victims of an express kidnapping in which money was demanded for each member. "They kidnapped us and locked us in a house that was under construction. I was very worried because my daughter laughs when she is nervous, often the kidnappers said terrible things to her, because my daughter's response was to laugh, I thought they were going to do something worse. When I sleep, I have nightmares and I see myself in that place again.
Julia did not file a complaint. She considers that, as a migrant woman, without the necessary papers to be in regular status in Mexico, she does not have the right to file a complaint. She preferred to remain silent because she was afraid that something else would happen to her or her family, and she did not know where to go.
Julia's story shows us the importance of investigating access to justice, as migrant women, from their country of origin, often do not have the necessary tools to have access to it. Fear, lack of information and the need to avoid being re-victimised mean that complaints are not filed and access to justice is non-existent.
WUCWO WWO is working to use the information gathered in this project to identify existing gaps in order to intervene, in a network with other organisations, to improve some aspect of the needs of migrant women, thus contributing to improving their quality of life, but above all to obtaining justice for the situations they have lived through, simply for seeking a better quality of life for themselves and their families.
WWO ALC Team - UMOFC Mexico
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