Women In Juarez, Mexico

Hello All!

I am taking a Women and Literature class this semester and the past few weeks we have been talking about the Juarez Murders in Mexico. I thought that this was a relevant topic to this blog because it has to deal with women's issues and it is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to spread the word about this situation.

I'm not sure if everyone knows about the Juarez Murders, and I am not the most scholarly person on the subject but here is a little bit of background. Basically, about 10-15 years ago, around the time that NAFTA was initiated, women in Juarez started going missing. Currently, over 450 women have been found dead or are still missing - no one knows the real number. Many of these women are from small towns in central Mexico and have no family in Juarez - meaning, it takes some time for someone to become aware that these women have gone missing. If this isn't bad enough, many of these women are raped and mutilated beyond imagine. So far, NO ONE HAS BEEN CONVICTED of these murders and the government is not working to solve the problem.

This is just a rough description, but I encourage everyone to read more about this and find out information. This situation is devastating and not many people know about it (I had no idea until I took this class).

Here are some website links and a FICTIONAL book (based on true events) of the situation:

http://www.mujeresdejuarez.org/
http://www.amigosdemujeres.org/AboutUs.htm

Desert Blood: The Juarez Murders by Alicia Gaspar de Alba