The tragedy that statistics fail to tell
The figure is a low blow: 168 women’s lives taken in the Guerrero Mountain region between 2014 and so far this year. But the number, already brutal, is just the tip of the iceberg. The report “Mujeres de la Montaña, Reborn entre los Filos del Olvido”, from the Tlachinollan Center, exposes an even starker truth: many cases are never recorded as what they are.
“The testimonies collected show extreme levels of violence,” denounced Abel Barrera, director of the center, during the presentation in the Senate. He spoke of brutal methods and a systematic pattern that paints a picture of horror.
A State absent when it is needed most
Here the drama is multiplied by the apathy. Imagine entire municipalities where only three legal advisors try to cover the justice needs of 21 localities. It’s a macabre joke. In places like Tlapa de Comonfort, access to justice is a mirage. The result? Women remain silent, do not report, or go into debt to pay for private lawyers.
And the script of this tragedy has more dark chapters. The report documents practices such as forced child marriage and gender roles that chain girls and young women from an early age. For many, the only way out is to migrate or start families when they should still be in school.
Faced with this bleak panorama, there is a chorus that is growing: international organizations and legislators are crying out to strengthen the presence of the State. Not with speeches, but with concrete actions in health, education and real justice. Policies with a differentiated approach to protect the rights of indigenous women.
Because behind the number 168 there are stories, names and broken families. And a system that, by not seeing them, becomes complicit.
