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Mexico Solidarity Network http://www.mexicosolidarity.org
Demand Justice for the Women and Families of Ciudad Juarez
Since 1993 more than 320 young women have been abducted,
raped and murdered in the Mexican border city of Juarez.
Despite the number of victims and the audacity of the
killers, authorities have failed to stop the killings or
jail the murderers. A culture of violence against women
reigns in Juarez.
Today, August 14th, a procession of mothers of the victims
of this violence has been organized by The Women in Black
Art Project and New York artist Coco Fusco to raise
awareness about the 800 women who have been murdered or
"disappeared" in and around Ciudad Juarez, State of
Chihuahua, Mexico, over the past decade.
The mothers from Mexico, the costumed Women in Black
figures and other participants will walk in silence to the
offices of the OAS' Interamerican Commission on Human
Rights several blocks away.
The mothers will deliver a letter to the Commission
Chairperson of the Interamerican Commission on Human
Rights urging that body to intervene on behalf of the
families of the murdered and missing women. To date, the
local, state and federal government in Mexico have not
responded to the crisis in Juarez.
YOU CAN SUPPORT the demand for justice in Juarez women in
four special ways:
1) Fax a letter of solidarity with the families of victims
to the Interamerican Commission on Human Rights (see
sample letter at the bottom of this note.) Cut and paste
the letter onto a page, sign it, and fax to: 202.458.3992
or 202.458.6215
2) Sign on to an on-line petition in support of the
families:
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/JUAREZ/petition.html
3) The Electronic Disturbance Theater will launch a
virtual sit-in against the Organization of American States
and the government of the state of Chihuahua, Mexico on
August 14 in solidarity with the families of the
disappeared and murdered young women of Juarez. Click to:
http://www.thing.net/~rdom/ecd/ecd.html to take part.
4) Watch TV! Senorita Extraviada, a 70-minute documentary
about the women in Juarez and their struggle for justice
will screen on PBS stations on August 20 at 10pm.
To learn more about activities in support of the families
of the murdered and missing women, log on to
http://www.geocities.com/pornuestrashijas. To learn more
about The Women in Black Art Project log on to:
www.artwomen.org/current.htm
The Women in Black Art Project, which is part of the
international feminist peace movement active in 30
countries, has been conducting vigils since March, 2002,
to raise awareness of the worldwide pandemic of violence
against women, and the exacerbating effect of wars and
other conflicts effect on this pandemic.
LETTER IN SUPPORT OF MAY OUR DAUGHTERS RETURN HOME
Fax to:
Organization of American States
Human Right Comission
202.458.3992 or 202.458.6215
August 14, 2002
We, the undersigned, join the members of the Mexican
organization, MAY OUR DAUGHTERS RETURN HOME, to call on
the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the Mexican
government, and human rights activists worldwide to use
all measures possible to bring an end to the violence in
Juarez, Mexico, that has resulted in nearly 300 deaths and
500 disappearances of young women since 1993.
We also take note that the murdered and disappeared young
women of Juarez are also victims of the negligence of
their local, state and federal government, in that to this
day, no adequate response to this tragic violence has been
made by Mexican politicians or law enforcement. We also
note that law enforcement in Juarez has actually attempted
to repress the efforts of those in Juarez who are
organizing protests in solidarity with MAY OUR DAUGHTERS
RETURN HOME.
Finally, we also want to make known that the murdered and
disappeared young women of Juarez lived and worked in
highly unsafe conditions without proper public services.
Many of them worked in maquiladoras, or assembly plants,
owned by multinational corporations that pay no taxes to
the Mexican government. The maquila industry currently is
being used by 70% of the labor intensive Fortune 500
companies expanding between 10% and 20% per year and
currently accounts for over 3,107 businesses employing
over 1,056,284 persons with an annual business volume in
excess of $37 billion of inputs and supplies of which 98%
is of U.S. origin. About 90% of the maquilas are located
along the US- Mexico border with over one third
concentrated in Juarez.
There are currently 340 maquiladoras in Juarez that employ
over 220,000 people. Among them are many American
companies such as Ford, Alcoa, General Motors, DuPont, and
Contico. These corporations do not provide any protection
to their largely female workforce when employees are
travelling to and from work, very often in the middle of
the night. We request that these multinational entities
that are reaping millions of dollars in the state of
Chihuahua to provide financial assistance for the
insurance of public safety. We call these companies to
assist the Mexican government and human rights
organizations and to stop the killings of these innocent
women once and for all.
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Mexico Solidarity Network http://www.mexicosolidarity.org
Demand Justice for the Women and Families of Ciudad Juarez
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