On December2009, three women were detained by unmarked vehicles near their homes in Chihuahua, Mexico. They were abducted in broad daylight and were never seen again. Witnesses speculate that the men that took these women were members of the Armed Forces and they drove to the nearest military base.
This is a brief summary of the Nitza Alvarado case, which was decided by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in November 2018. The case is important because it is the first case to assess the impact of the “War on Drugs” under a human rights perspective, focusing on the impact that this have on women. As you might have read in the news, the militarization of public security in Mexico against drug cartels have caused thousands of deaths and disappeared. The International Criminal Court and other human rights bodies are looking into the Mexico situation as a possible scenario of an armed conflict and crimes against humanity. Unfortunately the case is not available in English. Otherwise it would be a leading case in this
module.
Using the cases and materials included in this module, we would like to know your opinion on this matter and if there are standards from the Inter-American Human Rights System that could be used to understand the scope of violations that women face in the name of “public safety”.
Some guiding questions: “Does culture have a role in violence against women? If so, how?”; “What rights of Nitza Alvarado were violated by the State? Why?”. “What reparations would you order in a case that shows a glimpse of widespread violation of human rights?”
- Properly cite and include the necessary references to support your answers.
- Organize your answers in a clear, organized and concise text;
Also try to only use the