Breathe
By Desirée Navarro
The devil is in the details; there are signs that can never go unnoticed. Aggressors are not made from one day to the next, nor suddenly, nor instantly. The signs are always there, in every gesture, in every word. When we finally see them, it is often too late.
Just a few months ago, the case of Melanie Barragan, a victim of violence, who suffered a beating that left her with several fractures in her face, from which she almost lost an eye, went viral. But things did not start overnight. Christian de Jesús Rojas Martínez, her aggressor, forced her to undergo medical tests to "prove" alleged infidelities and "make sure" that she did not have sexually transmitted diseases. He isolated Melanie from her family and friends, forced her to get her initial tattooed and to remove her IUD.
These are the signs that we should urgently see These behaviors are not simple "mistreatment", they are the first steps of a potential feminicide.
Yes, it is true that these were not signs of physical violence, but by ignoring them, the end was devastating: three fractures in the nose, a fracture in the eye socket and cranioencephalic trauma.
It is crucial for parents to talk to their sons and daughters, to teach them with love and firmness that, no matter what happens, no one has the right to insult, manipulate, force, beat or humiliate another person. No one, under any circumstances. Parents must warn their daughters about the dangers they face if they allow any kind of violence, no matter how minor it may seem. We must prepare them so that, if they ever feel threatened or harassed, they can speak up without fear, with honesty and confidence.
How many deaths could have been prevented if young people were clearly aware of the problem? How many women could avoid being literally kidnapped by their partners and subjected to countless abuses?
Gender-based violence is one of the most infamous human rights violations. It affects women, men, boys and girls, but women and girls suffer the most under this scourge.
According to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), the main crimes committed against women are sexual abuse (42.6%) and rape (37.8%). In the National Survey on the Dynamics of Household Relationships (ENDIREH) 2016, it is mentioned that 43.9% of women in Mexico have suffered violence by their current partner throughout their relationship.
The Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System estimates that 10 women are murdered every day in Mexico. Only 26% of these cases are investigated as femicides. In October 2024, the data were chilling: 549 women murdered, 2,214 missing and 1,894 victims of rape.
Let's raise awareness about the vital importance of preventing dating violence so that, at the first signs, women have the ability to end such relationships and are able to use their voice to denounce those who violate them. You are not alone!
*Desirée Navarro
Activist, writer, defender of women's and children's human rights. She has a master's degree in Corporate Social Responsibility and a bachelor's degree in Advertising and Marketing. She was a columnist for 11 years in the newspaper El Universal. She currently has her blog Es Posible Morir de Amor in which she interviews women victims of violence. President of the One Heart Foundation Mexico and founder of Fundaciones Unidas.
The opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors and are absolutely independent of the position and editorial line of the company. Opinion 51.
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