Breaking the Cycle: How Mexico Can End Its Femicide Epidemic

Written by Sara Dogaru, BSc Anthropology and Politics

'As my granddaughter would sum it up: we are worth a peanut - which in other words means that a woman is just disposable,' said Norma Andrade, an activist working with the United Nations in order to spread awareness about the growing issue of femicide in Mexico.

The Crisis and What Must Change

Femicide is 'an intentional killing with a gender-related motivation', according to UN Women. It is the most extreme form of gender-based violence, others being emotional, verbal, physical or sexual abuse, even cyber harassment. A 2024 UN report has found that 'globally, 140 women and girls died every day at the hands of their partner or a close relative in 2023 - one woman killed every 10 minutes.'

Mexico has one of the highest femicide rates in the world, with seven in ten women over the age of 15 reporting experiencing a form of abuse during their lifetime, according to national data. These crimes affect women and girls disproportionately, girls aged 5-9 being three times more likely to face sexual abuse than boys, and those aged 15-17 eight times more likely.

This crisis will not end until Mexico takes decisive action: strengthening its legal system to prosecute gender-based violence, recognizing femicide as a distinct crime in law, and investing in comprehensive education programs that challenge patriarchal structures. Without these fundamental reforms, the cycle of impunity and violence will continue, and Mexican women will remain trapped in a system that fails to protect them.

Understanding the Cycle of Violence

The phenomenon of femicide is complicated, and the causes of it are not very clear-cut. Femicide, as mentioned before, is the most extreme form of a long cycle of violence, starting from minor offences, such as a defying attitude towards women, manifested perhaps through harsh comments, building up to abusive behaviour of various kinds.

The inability of institutions to identify and prosecute gender-based violence due to historical biases or an erroneous justice system can worsen this phenomenon, as perpetrators do not face consequences for their actions, therefore normalising this behaviour. The case of Mexico is single-standing in the sense that it has a dual position: trying to empower women through economic policies, which aim to reduce systematic inequalities, and have more representation in political institutions by implementing gender quotas. Despite this, the country is still facing unprecedented violence against women.

This paradox reveals a critical truth: economic empowerment and political representation, while important, cannot protect women when the justice system itself is broken. Mexican authorities and officials are faced with the pressing question: what is the root cause of this issue? The answer lies not in one single factor, but in the intersection of institutional failure, organized crime, and deep-seated cultural attitudes that must be dismantled simultaneously.

The Cartel Connection: How Organized Crime Fuels Femicide

Drug trafficking and femicide in Mexico are deeply intertwined, adding another layer of complexity to an already devastating crisis. Tatiana Revilla, director of the Gender Issues think-tank, has found a correlation between femicide and militarisation in countries battling organised crime.

Narco-femicide is 'the strategic use of gendered violence by criminal organisations to enforce social norms, maintain control and assert dominance', according to The Conversation. This means cartels don't just kill women who threaten their operations: they use gendered terror as a weapon to control entire communities. Drug cartels eliminate women who threaten their position while enforcing machismo: toxic masculine pride that glorifies male dominance through intimidation.

By targeting women, particularly journalists, activists, and family members of rivals, cartels send a message about who holds power and what happens to those who resist. This creates a culture where approximately 90% of women are too afraid to report abuse.

Police corruption makes reporting even more dangerous, as numerous officials work closely with drug cartels for money. 'We're stupid - we let ourselves be mistreated,' commented Zenaida Chávez, whose daughter Linda Olguín Chávez was stabbed to death by her abusive partner in 2014. This impunity fosters self-blame among victims, a psychological trap that keeps women silent even when they desperately need help.

Political Failures and Public Outrage

Mexican authorities only recently acknowledged femicide as a serious problem. The 2020 kidnapping and murder of a seven-year-old and the brutal killing of a 25-year-old woman sparked public outrage.

Ex-president Andrés Manuel López Obrador initially dismissed femicide as media exaggeration and kept it off his political agenda. 'You kill a woman here and nothing happens', said Valeria Jiménez Murillo, whose 24-year-old daughter was murdered by her boyfriend. Protests, including graffiti on the National Palace, pressured the politician to reconsider.

Despite his 2020 funding cuts to shelters and nurseries for domestic violence survivors, some NGOs have stepped in to provide therapy for mothers of femicide victims and abuse survivors. But grassroots efforts cannot substitute for comprehensive government action.

Therefore, impunity, corruption and a patriarchal culture have all made reporting a crime a difficult task, lessening trust in governmental institutions. International media coverage solely of the drug trafficking problem, overlooking femicide, has made women feel invisible. 'There's a lot of evil around . . . You want to burn things down and shout and scream but nothing will give us our daughters back,' explained Noemi Sánchez's mother.

What Mexico Must Do: A Three-Step Approach

Drawing from proposals from the UN and other organisations, the solution must begin with strengthening the legal system. Trapped in the cycle of gender bias, abuse and corruption, less than 5% of crimes against women actually become prosecuted.

If the legal system is rebuilt, women will be encouraged to report crimes and perpetrators will also be encouraged to not continue their abusive behaviour, as they know that their actions will have consequences. By addressing corruption in the legal system through stricter policies, Mexico could better protect its women, promoting a culture of transparency and trust.

Femicide must be addressed as a phenomenon in itself in the legal system, not only as a murder, but as the final act in a long chain of violence. Recognizing femicide as a distinct crime would legitimize it in public discourse, signal that the state takes gendered violence seriously, and allow for specialized training of judges, prosecutors, and investigators. This legal recognition transforms femicide from an unspoken tragedy into a prosecutable offense with specific evidentiary standards and mandatory sentencing guidelines.

There should also be more money invested in support programs for victims of such violence, helping them escape the cycle of abuse. These support programs can encourage women to seek help in dangerous situations and relate to other women in similar situations. Shelters, hotlines, and counseling services are not luxuries, they are essential infrastructure that can save lives.

Furthermore, the UN has proposed educational programs that would help educate the general population on gender-based violence, an educational policy that has the potential of interrogating patriarchal structures, resulting in potentially less violent younger generations. Unawareness regarding gender-based violence can perpetuate this cycle, as not all Mexican women are aware that the challenges that they are facing are actually abusive behaviours.

Education must start young, teaching boys and girls about consent, respect, and healthy relationships. This long-term investment challenges the cultural foundations that allow femicide to flourish.

The Cartel Challenge and the Path Forward

Regarding drug cartels, policymakers are faced with a more serious challenge, the Mexican government being actively involved in dismantling organised crime by trying to hunt down cartel leaders. This policy has been criticised because it has led to even more violence, as internal conflicts over leadership within cartels resulted in countless civilian deaths.

This issue is further complicated by the fact that numerous officials work closely with drug cartels for money, thus reporting crimes can become an increasingly dangerous task. The government is still trying to find the best way to deal with the drug war.

But here's the reality: without a functioning legal system that women can trust, no anti-cartel strategy will protect them. Legal reform creates the foundation for everything else: it enables women to report crimes safely, prosecutes corrupt officials, and sends a clear message that violence against women will not be tolerated.

Consumed by both a battle against drug trafficking and femicide, Mexico must recognize that these issues are interconnected. Strengthening the legal system isn't just about femicide, it undermines cartel power, rebuilds public trust, and creates the institutional capacity to address both crises.

Mexico is yet to provide more efficient solutions for diminishing these pressing issues, but the path forward is clear: legal reform must come first, followed by sustained investment in support services and education. Without this comprehensive approach, Mexican women will continue to pay with their lives.

Sources

Natalie Minard & Ana Carmo, «Mexico: Boom in organised crime making femicide invisible, local activist says», UN News, 5 December 2024

«Five essential facts to know about femicide», UN Women, 25 November 2024

Anabel Hernandez, «Not one less - women in Mexico fight femicide», DW News, 14 October 2025

Adriana Marin, «Mexico’s cartels use violence against women as a means of social control», The Conversation, 2 June 2025

«Mexico's women protest gender violence», Reuters, 4 March 2020

Jude Webber, «Mexico: ‘You kill a woman here and nothing happens’», Financial Times, 8 March 2020