THE CITIZEN COUNCIL INCREASES ATTENTION TO WOMEN DUE TO VIOLENCE

The civil organization has offered legal and psychological support to six times more women than in 2019. They highlight the promotion of denunciation.

Throughout the year, there have been six times more reports in relation with violence within the family. As a consequence, this has increased the support the Citizen Council for Safety and Justice in Mexico City has offered victims through the Women’s Line and Trustworthy Chat 55 533 5533.

Within the framework of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the organization informed that they have aided 2 thousand 515 people from January 1^st to November 24^th 2020, in comparison with the 369 people that received free legal and psychological support during 2019.

Also, with the help of a team of lawyers, the number of investigation files that the Citizen Council has opened due to violence within the family, particularly against women of all ages, as established in article 200 of the local Penal Code, increased 4.5 times in comparison with 2019.

In total, they have opened 200 files this year, in comparison with the 44 that were opened in 2019. Nearly 44% of these files were opened at the Iztapalapa mayoralty where the council has a seat at Luis Hidalgo Monroy 100, San Pablo, that was inaugurated on January 5^th of the present year, with the aid of mayor Clara Brugada.

The President of the Citizen Council, Salvador Guerrero Chipres, explained that “this increase in the number of files allows us to observe a series of data that were previously unknown but that are part of a widely spread reality of machismo and violence that must be put to and end, and whose black rates are close to 92 percent.”

According to reports made by the Council, some of the main reasons why women don’t denounce include: fearing their aggressor or fearing consequences 17%; having an emotional or economical dependence 16%; not knowing how to proceed or lacking follow up services 13%.

He added that the increase in the number of reports is the result of a series of factors: feminist mobilization, the increase and improvement of the capital city’s government responses, drawing attention to the problem due to confinement, institutional and citizen disposition to offer attention and promote denunciation, and offering more flexible access to digital denunciation.

An additional element is the campaign “You’re not alone” that promotes, together with the authorities of the Women’s Ministry under Ingrid Gomez Saracibar, the District Attorney’s Office led by Ernestina Godoy Ramos, and the Citizen Safety Ministry led by Omar García Harfuch.

The service the Citizen Council offers consists on listening to women and showing the empathy, 24 hours a day, apart from giving them emotional contention services, legal counseling, channeling to the corresponding authorities, offering them legal follow up through our lawyers so that they can open an investigation file and giving them psychological therapy.

The seat at Iztapalapa has an Emotional Recovery Center in which they empower women through psychological therapies. So far this year, they have helped 211 patients. They also participate in the program “Always Alive” at the Iztapalapa mayoralty in order to offer legal attention and fight against impunity.