Violence against Women by Private Actors: The Inter-American Court’s Judgment in the Case of Gonzalez et al. (“Cotton Field”) v. Mexico PDF

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Violence against Women by Private Actors: The Inter-American Court’s Judgment in the Case of Gonzalez et al. (“Cotton Field”) v. Mexico...

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Discussion 2 Sarah Peebles

Using the grant given to me by the University of Ottawa, I would focus on implementing a “safe-space” project for women in Mexico, specifically in Ciudad Juárez. Despite, adequate safety being a necessary priority in reducing VAW throughout all of Latin American, I’ve chosen Ciudad Juárez as my focus because it is notorious for its “constant wave of violence against and homicide of women” (Tiroch, 2010); it was even coined the “Capital of Women’s Murders” (Tiroch, 2010). Since these gender-based discriminatory practices are based on the cultural, traditional or historic ideas of female inferiority and male superiority in the city, laws and reparations can do little to reduce or compensate for VAW. This is why I suggest the establishment of women’s shelters, transitional houses and second-stage housing throughout the city for women who are at risk for violence or women who have been the victims of violence. Through this program, women can be guaranteed safe, temporary shelter with staff assistance and will be provided with emotional support, safety and legal planning, and crisis intervention. This not only helps them escape the threat of violence temporarily, but also equips them with the means for safety in the future. Since the starting point for reparations is to re-establish the victim to their situation prior to the human rights violation, and most often their original situation is likely to be found within a context of discrimination and violence, this project will assist women in a way that reparations and laws never could (Tiroch, 2010). This project aims to not only assist women physically, but also socially and politically. Through the legal counsel available in these houses, women will be able to develop a strong case that can be taken to Court to serve justice to the situation. I hope that my project can assist in reducing and preventing gender-based attacks in Mexico and that it contributes positively towards the movement for gender equality.

References: Katrin Tiroch, “Violence against Women by Private Actors: The Inter-American Court’s Judgment in the Case of Gonzalez et al. (“Cotton Field”) v. Mexico” (2010) 14 Max Planck Yearbook of United Nations Law 371....