He is 16 years old and this March 8, 2023 is his first march. She asked friends and acquaintances who would attend the call to demonstrate this International Women's Day, however, all her friends were hesitant to go. Finally he was encouraged to attend with an acquaintance.
Although she is open to giving interviews, she prefers not to say her name for fear that something might happen to her. Because of this, throughout the text we will use the fictitious name of Ana.
The sun hits her eyes marveling at seeing thousands and thousands of women walking through Reforma. As soon as he reaches the avenue, he takes out of his backpack the poster that he prepared the night before and which says: "Don't forget Sofía."
After some questions, Ana explains that two years ago her friend Sofía, who was also 14 years old at the time, disappeared on the way between her house and the school where she studied, in San Juan de Aragón, in the northeast of the city. from Mexico. She and her friends organized small marches in the neighborhood to demand that the authorities properly investigate the case.
A bit puzzled by the legal terms, Ana explains that as far as she knows, the culprit behind Sofía's disappearance has already been identified, but they are waiting for him to be arrested and imprisoned. It saddens her a little to think that due to her young age, when Sofia disappeared, she couldn't do more to help her friend.
One of the most emotional moments of the march is when Ana stands on the sidewalk watching the march go by and raises her sign. Her petite figure with a large piece of cardboard draws the attention of the contingents who, after seeing what she says, begin to shout: "We're not all here, we're missing Sofía!" repeatedly.
Ana's arms tremble, she is about to lower them but she resists the urge to cry, she moves restlessly and does not lower her sign. After a few seconds, the tears run down her cheeks but the sign is still up, immovable. A purple protest in the middle of the burning asphalt of Mexico City that demands justice.
Shortly after, two young men approach her and hug her. The three are young, none of them will exceed 20 years of age, but they have already survived a lifetime in a country where women are victims of feminicide on a daily basis.
According to official figures from the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System of Mexico, in 2022 there were 948 cases of femicide and 969 victims throughout the country, which is equivalent to an average of 2.6 women murdered per day.
However, the official figure is very different from that of the National Citizen Observatory on Femicide ?ONCF? which brings together 40 organizations from all over the country and which specializes in monitoring how violence develops in Mexico.
According to the ONCF, "the year 2022 closed with 3,755 murders of women, of which only 968 cases were recognized as femicide, that is, only in these cases were gender reasons accredited, the rest ?2,787 ? They were classified as intentional homicides, not counting the "suicides" that are not investigated as femicides.
Despite the fact that there is an underreporting of femicide violence in Mexico, officially in 2022, an average of 10.28 women were murdered every day.
Given the various debates on the figures, the different feminisms and those who fight for women's rights agree on something: the focus should not be on the figures because no woman should be killed for being a woman.
The common denominator of the marches in recent years has been the presence of, mainly, the youth, women who have decided to rebel against the impositions of an unfair system and who have not only taken to the streets but also the workplaces, schools, family dinners and any space to demand their rights.
You may be interested in: Photographic account of the 8M 2023 march in CDMX
