Accompany 200 women that live violence in Oaxaca

In this Covid- 19 pandemic situation, with deaths and infection in our communities that have poor health services, the violence against women has continued and increased. Only in the period between January-April 2020, 36 women were killed in Tehuantepec isthmus and was reported an increase of family violence.

Our organization Nääxwiin have taken necessary actions for to be continue with our commitment for attend women that live violence and looking for justice. During this year, Nääxwiin has offered 42 attentions 41 women and one girl in an integral way to women that live family and sexual violence. They have received psychological attention, legal advisory, translates in mixe language and accompaniment to instances of law enforcement. The most frequent violence types have been: 76% psychological and 24% economical.

In this period that we report, we were working in a less than encouraging context, because the municipality where is our organization was declared in dangerous for Covid-19 situation. For that reason the municipality president established preventive measures that included restricted hours of operation for all public services. Then we decided offer legal and psychological attention not in person but by phone and we attended in person the extreme cases. This situation revealed the digital breach that exists in our communities, not all women have access to internet or to a phone, and if have the possibility, all the localities don’t have stable telephone service. And in many cases women don’t have money to pay the internet and phone services.

Recently, the Familiar Court opened an online platform for demands and this encouraged juristic and legal processes, because in past months the legal process was delayed and since the last year we have new files that haven’t received follow-up in judicial institutions. And so far this year, 15 files that are in process, all of them of alimony, divorce and custody.

Fear and uncertainty that we live in this pandemic times are very strong and mostly for women that live abuse in their homes. These women less and less have spaces to be heard, oriented and doesn't exists sensibilized personal in judicial institutions which leads to them being revictimized again.

Our organization have been a refuge and a hope space for women: this is how they express it when they talk about their life story, we do what is humanly possible, although sometimes we have to swim against the current. In this period of report we offered attention to 42 women: 25 of them received legal attention, 17 went to psychological therapy and an others 13 women received orientation. We have identified that frequently women who came to the organization live psychological, economic and patrimonial violence, but very little is reported as psychological violence.