Accompany 200 women that live violence in Oaxaca

The gender violence in Tehuantepec isthmus, and specifically in the municipalities where we work, is a worrisome issue. Only speaking about femicide, the organization Consorcio Oaxaca present that in so far in 2022, 20 aggression against women have been reported, of which 11 have been femicides. If this trend continues, it could be the most violent year for Juchitán in the current six-year term. Many of the case about women violence go unpunished.

The violence against women is still a serious problem that not only affects the health and emotional state of women, but of the entire family and community. For a woman is not easy recognize that she is experiencing violence, because for decades the violence has been naturalized and it has always been thought that women were to blame for being beaten or mistreated by their husbands due to the way and the beliefs they have been brought up since they were children in their communities.

In Naaxwiin we work to named and not naturalize the violence against women, holding workshops, forums, meetings on the prevention of violence and promoting good treatment between men and women. We also provide comprehensive care to women who experience violence, especially indigenous women, including counseling, listening, emotional support, legal advice and psychological care, accompaniment and translation in the Mixe indigenous language.

In this period that we report we have attended to 57 users, and we offered, totally, 63 psychological and legal services. We are following up 21 cases in psychological care and 24 legal cases, of which 15 have been channeled and accompanied to the Women's Justice Center, the Mexican Social Security Institute, the Municipal Judge, the Family Court and the Public Prosecutor's Office. However, access to justice is not easy; together with women, we face great obstacles because authorities and public servants are not sensitized or trained to attend to and prevent violence against women.

Empowering women who experience violence is another of Naaxwiin's priorities. A user who came to our office told us how she has felt during the follow-up of her case: “A woman has to say: ‘Yes, I can do it, I know I can do it and get ahead’. Right now here at Naaxwiin they are giving me psychological support to help me forget and have the opportunity to learn more about life, they explain things to me that I don't know or don't understand. I have seen women who are in the same situation as me, but because they are afraid or because they have children and don't know how to get ahead”.

We thank all our donors who make it possible that our work is materializing. Without their support we would not be able to provide this accompaniment to women who decide to leave the circle of violence and seek to live without violence.