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NEWS & LETTERS, March 2004Demand justice for murdered womenSan Francisco--Mourning Mothers supported a Valentines Day pilgrimage to Ciudad Juarez, the Mexican town that shares a border with El Paso, Texas. A Bay Area contingent including seven Berkeley High School students joined the massive march on Juarez, sponsored by Amnesty International, Code Pink, and dozens of other groups. Local demonstrations began on Feb. 13 at the Mexican Consulate here. Since 1993, more than 320 women have been murdered in Ciudad Juarez. Of these deaths, approximately 100 have been sexual-torture killings of young women, ages 12 to 19. At least 450 more women are missing. Jane Welford of Berkeley Women in Black, who co-organized the Mexican Consulate protest, said, "No one is taking responsibility for solving these cases--not the police, not the public defenders office, not the U.S. corporations who are exploiting these desperately poor women. Sixty percent of the victims are sweatshop workers, yet the managers of these U.S.-owned maquiladoras deny any responsibility for the security of their female employees." Swaneagle Harijan, another protest organizer, said, "What we are demanding is police, Mexican government, and corporate accountability in solving these murders, and an end to global trade rules that put profits before the lives of workers." --Mary Bull |
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