Tag Archives: murdered women

Juarez Murders: Mexico’s Secretary Of State To Unveil Memorial For Slain Women

If there were any doubts about the erasing of the dead and disinformation about Juarez, try this sentence:

Since 1993, the small border town of Juarez has been overcome by waves of murders, most of which have been attacks against women. Human rights activists estimate the number of slain women is in the thousands.

First, Juarez is not a “small border town” but a city of at least 1.2-1.3 million people. About twice as large as its US neighbor, El Paso. Since 1993, using official numbers from the state Attorney General and media reports, the number of PEOPLE killed in Juarez is more than 14,500 and of that total, about 1,250 were women. This does not include the people who have gone missing.  But by ANY count or estimate, we can say with certainty that at least 10 times as many of the murder victims in the city of Juarez for all of these years from 1993–present have been men or boys. A less misleading article from the El Paso Times neglects to mention the actual HUMAN death toll. Notably, in 2012, as we have gratefully seen the homicide toll decrease, the percentage of victims who are women has increased. This is probably due to the fact that as the murders related to gang violence and narco-violence have declined in Juarez, the number of domestic violence murders where the victims are usually women becomes a larger percentage of the total…in 2012, it is about 12.5 %.  Still, the actual NUMBERS of women killed were much higher in 2010-2011 because the numbers of PEOPLE killed were so high overall. The quote from Irma Casas of Casa Amiga is absolutely true and applies to ALL of the victims, not only the women: “Murders are rarely investigated and only 1 percent are even decided upon,” Irma Casas, director of women’s rights group Casa Amiga Esther Chavez Cano, told FOX News Latino.

molly molloy

Murders of women

1993-2007………………427 (3,538) – 12%

2008 ……………………….87   (1,623) – 5.3%

2009……………………….164 (2,754)—5.9%

2010 ………………………304 (3,622) – 8.3%

2011 …………………….. 196  (2,086) – 9.3%

2012 (as of July 31) ………73 (584) – 12.5%

Women…………1,251 ( 14,527 total victims) – 8.6%

Women = 8.6 percent

of total murder victims over the past 18 years

Statistics from El Diario based on official data from the Chihuahua State Attorney General

44 homicides in July; 584 so far in 2012

El Diario reports 44 homicides in the month of July, another decrease from 49 in June.  Diario gives a total of 580 for the year so far, but by the monthly tallies I have, I think a better figure is 584.  This is an average of 2.7 murders each day in the city. Projecting that the downward trend continues and murders fall to 30 per month for the rest of the year, 2012 will end with more than 700 homicides. About 320 people were victims in 2007–the highest figure ever recorded in the city before the explosion of violence in 2008.

Jan 122; Feb 82; Mar 105; Apr 108; May 74; June 49; July 44

This figure is also consistent with a report an independent researcher got from an official at the Juarez morgue earlier this week–582.  I believe that the discrepancy is due to how some crimes are categorized as “homicidios culposos” rather than dolosos… But I will report the number of 584 as I think it is more accurate.

Three of the victims in July were women. The article reports a total of 70 women victims in 2012, but adding up the monthly reports comes to 73.
Jan 12; Feb 10; Mar 15; Apr 18; May 6; June 9; July 3
Women are 12.5 percent of the total homicide victims in the city.  This rate is consistent with rates over the years: when the overall number of homicides are higher as in 2008-2011, the percentage of the total who are women has tended to go down to between 5 and 8 percent.  When the homicide rates decrease to what seems to be “normal” for the city (as in the current downward trend), then the percentage of the victims who are women rises slightly. I’ve posted below the Diario article all of the numbers I have since 1993.  molly

Juarez Murders 1993-July 2012

 

Total 1993-2007 = 3,538 (0.7 per day)

2007 =  320

2008 = 1,623

2009 = 2,754

2010 = 3,622 (**)

2011 = 2,086

2012 = 584 (as of July 31)

Total killed since 2007 = 10,989

Total killed since 1993 = 14,527

Average of 6.3 people per day since Jan 2008

(**original media tally for 2010=3,111; March 2011 Fiscalia report = 3,951; Fiscalia spokesman gave new figure of 3,622 to Reuters reporter in October 2011)

 

MURDERS OF WOMEN

1993-2007………………427 (3,538) – 12%

2008 ……………………….87   (1,623) – 5.3%

2009……………………….164 (2,754)—5.9%

2010 ………………………304 (3,622) – 8.3%

2011 …………………….. 196  (2,086) – 9.3%

2012 (as of July 31) ………73 (584) – 12.5%

Women…………1,251 ( 14,527 total victims) – 8.6%

Women = 8.6 percent

 of total murder victims over the past 18 years

Statistics from El Diario based on official data from the Chihuahua State Attorney General

Juarez deaths May 15-16

Yesterday, May 16, a woman who worked as a waitress in a bar was taken out
of the place by a man who argued with her and then shot her at least 11
times. She is the 2nd female victim in May and the 57th woman to be
murdered this year, according to El Diario.  On Tuesday, May 15, two people
were killed, including a 15 yr old boy. By my tally, there have now been about 48 people murdered in May; 464 in 2012; and 10,546 in the city of Juarez since January 2008.  molly

 

 

18 women murdered in April

Every month El Diario does this kind of summary.  I have used these
summaries for several years to compile the information on the homicides of
women going back to 1993.
Note This:
According to the newspaper archive, in January there were 12 homicides, 10
in February, 15 in March and 18 in April, according to the official
statistics provided by the Fiscalia.
Juarez is the only municipality that reports this statistic (aggravated
homicides against women) at the national level.
De acuerdo al archivo periodístico, en enero fueron cometidos 12
homicidios, 10 en febrero, 15 en marzo y 18 en abril, de acuerdo a los
datos oficiales aportados por esta Fiscalía,
Juárez es el único municipio que registra esta cifra a nivel nacional.
A google translation is posted below as well as a small chart comparing the
number of women victims (1,232) to the total homicide victims (14,039)
since 1993.

The total number of women victims since this count began in 1993 is 1,232
according to the article. molly

Women   Total  % Women

1993-2007………………427       (3,538) –    12%

2008 ……………………….87         (1,623) –    5.3%

2009……………………….164        (2,754)—   5.9%

2010 ………………………304         (3,622) –   8.3%

2011 …………………….. 195           (2,086) – 9.3%

2012 (as of April 30) …55             (416) –  13%

*Women………**…1,232  **(  total **victims)* (14,039) – 8.8%

Women = 8.8 percent of total murder victims over the past 18 years
Statistics from El Diario based on official data from the Chihuahua State
Attorney General

 

107 (or 106?) victims in April; 18 women…total for the year is between 411 and 416

El Diario reports 106 homicides for the month of April.  They also report 2
murders yesterday.  Another story posted shortly after midnight says that
another victim injured in an attack late last night had died in the
hospital.  I’m going to guess the toll is actually 107.

For the statistics, a higher percentage of the victims in April were
women–18; this comes to about 17 percent of the total–higher than in most
of the years since 1993. The total number of female victims for the year so
far: Jan 12; Feb 10; Mar 15; Apr 18 for a total of 55. Overall for the
year, the percent of victims who are women is between 13 and 14 percent of
the total.
Diario reports a total for the year of 411 dead.  They have a lower tally
for January than mine.  I think the total is closer to 416:
Jan 122; Feb 82; Mar 105; Apr 107

The total number of homicide victims in Juarez since January 2008 is now at
least 10,500.

 

15 women killed so far in April; 53 in 2012 as of April 20

So far in April, 15 women have been murdered.  The dead include a 1 and a
half year old baby and several other minors. No arrests have been made in
these murders.   A summary of the numbers of total homicide victims and
women victims from 1993-2011 is posted below the articles.  Added to those
totals The article indicates that these are figures for violent deaths of
women and that Juarez is the only municipality in the country that reports
this statistic nationally. [I’ve never seen that clearly stated before. It
calls into question how useful these numbers are if none of the other
municipalities in the country report the same data or define the crime(s)
in the same way. How can the rates of women’s homicides (feminicidios) be
compared from one place to another if the crimes are not defined and
reported in the same way… ?] This year, the numbers are as follows:

2012                total homicides 361                women 53   percent
of total who are women     14%

(as of April 20)  Women are a higher percentage of the murder victims so
far this year than in any year since 2005.

The other article below reports on a statement earlier this week from
Chihuahua Attorney General Jorge Gonzalez Nicolas that 90 percent of the
homicides of women are related to organized crime and that the rest are
domestic or gender violence. “The topic is very delicate because we are
talking about organized crime and common crime. They are using women for
the commission of illicit activities and in many cases, they are involved
with people close to them, their domestic partners, fathers, brothers or
another family member,” explained the head of the Fiscalia.  molly

Diario has not reported a summary of the number of killings so far in
April. Based on the daily reports and my imperfect tally, there have now
been about 52 murders so far in April; 15 of the victims are women. My
estimate of the total for the year is now 361: January 122; February 82;
March 105 and as of April 20–52.
Based on the past years’ tallies, there have been 10,466 people murdered in
Juarez since January 2008. This comes out to an average of 6.6 people per
day for the past 1,571 days. molly

 

remains of 51 women found in Valle de Juarez…investigations in limbo at the Juarez morgue

It is now the last day of February and today in El Diario, the number
of unidentified bodies of women found in the Valle de Juarez is
reported to be 51. I was shocked to see this number since the last
number reported from the recent excavations was 15. At first I thought
it was a mistake, but, the 51 includes the unidentified remains that
have been kept at the Juarez morgue for years, I think going back to
about 1995. But many more remains have been found over the past
several months in excavations in the Valle de Juarez but the reports
are only now being made known to the public.

Another story from Diario says that the team of Argentine forensic
specialists left Juarez without submitting reports on their results
and so the investigations are backlogged and confused and the DNA
testing must be repeated… I read the story quickly, but I do not see
any note of when the Argentines are said to have left. I DO remember a
story from many years ago that the team left in disgust at the
conditions in the Juarez police at the time. I am not sure, but it is
possible that the new Chihuahua state officials are trying to defect
attention from their incompetence by pushing the blame onto the
foreign experts called in years ago. I will see if I can find the
story that I believe was in the Washington Post many years ago.

The body of 15 yr old Jessica Leticia Peña García was buried
yesterday. An account from the funeral is posted below from the
EPTimes.

There is also a new story on the Valle de Juarez, accurately titled
THE DEADLIEST PLACE IN MEXICO by Melissa del Bosque at this link:
http://www.theinvestigativefund.org/investigations/international/1615/the_deadliest_place_in_mexico

molly

Martes 28 de Febrero de 2012
Hay 51 osamentas de mujeres sin identificar; continúan rastreos en elValle de JuárezHay más osamentas halladas en el Valle de Juárez: Fiscalía
Se fueron expertos argentinos sin reportar investigaciones
Woman buries teenage daughter’s remains in Juárez