On Friday Sept. 18, 2017, Mara Fernanda Castilla was found abandoned and murdered in a ditch outside of Mexico City. Mara was a young college student who decided to use ‘Cabify’ (a Spanish-ride sharing service) to get home after a night of clubbing with friends. The ‘Cabify’ app showed that Mara did make it to her destination, yet cameras never recorded her getting out of the car or into her apartment. The gruesome murder sparked an uproar and prompted activists to protests on their Independence Day parade (Sunday Sept. 17, 2017) . The activists say the country has neglected the injustice of femicides occurring in their country. Femicide is a crime involving the violence and killing of women.

The amount of murders of women in Mexico city are so high that society groups have pushed for a gender alert which was also rejected in July 2017 by the government. The article also states that statistics show that seven women are killed every day and no attention is given by the government unless they are taken to the media.

The article highlights how the government has been ignoring the intense amount of murders and crimes against women and hopes to shed light on this issue and influence the government to take better measures in preventing this atrocity.

Latin America/Mexico is portrayed as a violent environment. It is also seen as a place in need of better government that shows attention for their people. On the other hand, it also highlights the power of the people when they join together to share their dismay on the violence of women. They are portrayed as passionate individuals yearning and fighting for a change and safer environment.

Although this article is very intense, I thought it was important to showcase the violence against women. It connects to our class themes of identity because I think this is a universal topic especially considering that Mara was a current college student(similar to us) before her murder. It is something that could happen to anyone and should always be addressed. It also emphasizes how our encounters as women differ and compare in different regions.

links used:

http://www.bbc.com/news/in-pictures-41301819

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/18/mexico-woman-murder-student-ride-hailing-service-cabify