Breathe
By Thelma Elena Pérez Álvarez
On November 5, the federal and capital congresses approved the package of constitutional reforms that President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo presented and signed last October 3 to guarantee substantive equality, arguing, "As Mexico's first female president, our obligation is to protect women."
The reforms aim to protect and expand women's rights in terms of substantive equality, gender perspective and the right to a life free of violence and involve the amendment of seven secondary laws, including the General Law for Substantive Equality between Women and Men, the Federal Labor Law, the General Law of the National Public Security System and the General Law on Women's Access to a Life Free of Violence.
Article 4 incorporates the right to substantive equality, described by Sheinbaum Pardo as: "all laws and all provisions in our country have to consider the particularities of women and their human rights".
Articles 21, 73, section XXI and 116 provide that the security and justice institutions of the states shall adjust their actions to the gender perspective and implement focused actions, such as reinforced duties and specialized areas in prosecutors' offices to address specific needs and gender-based crimes.
Article 41 establishes mandatory gender parity in the Federal Public Administration and Article 123 stipulates that there shall be no wage gap between women and men.
When the governor presented the reforms, she was accompanied by the head of the Women's Secretariat, Citlalli Hernández Mora, who mentioned: "This is a series of reforms that for us is a Protection System for Women in terms of rights and access to justice".
It is important not to lose sight of the fact that the viability of the "Women's Protection System" faces important operational challenges, if we take into account the interconnection of three dimensions that need to be assessed in order to achieve substantive equality: redressing women's historical economic disadvantage, addressing stereotypes, stigmas and violence, and strengthening women's power of action and participation.
Thus, the first challenge lies in the continuity of the Fourth Transformation, if we consider figures from the previous government related to the impact of the three dimensions mentioned above on girls, teenagers and women:
-From December 2018 to September 2024, eleven thousand 190 women disappeared.according to Cimacnoticias documentation as of October 16, 2024.
-During AMLO's six-year term of office, 20,938 women were murderedof which 5,227 were classified as femicides, according to SESNSP with data as of September 27, 2024.
-7 out of 10 women have experienced some type of violence.. With the highest prevalence of psychological violence (51.6 %), followed by sexual violence (49.7 %) and physical violence (34.7 %), according to INEGI in 2021.
-The majority of missing persons in Mexico aged 0 to 17 years in 2023 are women and girls.according to Segob.
Other equally substantial challenges are the redesign of the judiciary, in order to control corruption and impunity. Also, the shaping of the Federal Expenditure Budget 2025 to, now yes?, carry out an equitable redistribution that expedites the prevention, attention and punishment of male violence in a non-selective manner. Also, the separation of economic power -including illicit economies- from political power.
Based on the above context, a fundamental challenge lies in weakening, now yes? the neoliberal patriarchal system that "the most feminist government in history" did not weaken, because both this government and the previous one know that in order to reduce the wage gap between women and men, eradicate sexist violence, expand rights and access to justice for women it is necessary, paraphrasing Rita Segato, to de-sig-ni-fi-car the body of women as the place where reification, appropriation and predation on life takes place.
For the sake of girls, teenagers and women, these reforms and those that the current administration will continue to pass, based on its majority in Congress, need to touch our lives and stop the cruelty we women experience.
November 25 is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo announced that on the 15th of the same month she will present the 2025 budget; we are attentive to the fact that she will at least include in it the urgent redistributive congruence, in a broad sense, so that the substantive equality to which she aspires becomes a reality.
*ThelmaElena Pérez Álvarez teaches digital communication, advertising and marketing at universities in Spain and Mexico. She actively works for the Mexican State to guarantee the human right to media and information literacy.
The opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors and are absolutely independent of the position and editorial line of the company. Opinion 51.
Comments ()