This is not a nice topic but unfortunately it's true, and it makes me sad that by the time I get this thread together and ready to send it to their families, another girl/woman would have died.
Since 1993 over 350 young woman have been raped, strangled, stabbed and killed or have disapeared in Juarez, a Mexican city in the border of the U.S. The majority were pretty, slim, working class and young, some as young as 13. Not a single person has been brought to justice for these murders and the Mexican government has been slow to act. Suspicions abound as to why local and state officials have been dragging their feet over the murders investigations. Several men have been arrested over the years, but the murders continue. Some suspect that officials are protecting one of their own. Others say that the authorities are not interested in solving these cases as the victims were young, poor and dispensable.
In response of this Esther Chavez opened Casa Amiga in 1993, which provides psychological, medical and legal support to victims of sexual assault, domestic violence and incest; and has also been an unequivocal voice against violence towards women. Esther Chavez has recently won an International Service Human Rights Awards (see www.internationalservice.org.uk) in the Grass-Roots Human Rights Campaigner category ? this award rewards the ?unsung heroes? of human rights who daily risk their lives so that the truth may be heard, the defenceless defended and the powers that be are held to account.
Although I have borrowed the text above from the nice people of the International Service, you can find more information on the subject by entering "Esther Chavez Cano" and "Juarez" in any Internet search engine.
The intention of this thread is to make more people aware of what is going on in my city (yes, I was born and raised there and I'm sad to say that when all this nightmare started ten years ago I could not have never imagined that I would be here writting to you about this unresolved problem so many years and victims later); to get more people to write messages to our government demanding more attention to the subject (you can post messages to the Mexican president -who don't care much about the subject but cares about what the international community think of him- at this web site
And finally, even if you decide you can't do much to help bring justice to the families of these women, Amnesty International is filling a book with thoughts for the families of the victims, I'm taking it to Esther Chavez on December and I thought that it would be really nice of you if you can contribute with a little message for the family of one of the victims. I'm hoping to get at least a message for each family, would you help me on that? Thanks in advance.
Chandra