Mexican Women Went On A Strike Called “A Day Without Us” To Protest The Rising Violence Against Women. Is This What It Takes For The World To Take Notice?
I don’t know at what point in history the world began devaluing women. It has to be a while because we’ve been here for so long, but the exact point when the tables turned? It’s not one moment. I am thinking about this because right now, the way we are treated it makes us feel like we are simply not considered a valuable part of the human population. Nobody cares if women are being raped, skinned, murdered and wiped off the face of earth. Nobody gives a shit about how scared we feel in public spaces. Women are being assaulted, harassed and beaten up but hey, that is not causing any ripples in the world because the men are safe. It’s not like women have been mum about the atrocities we are facing. It’s not like the men are blind. Turning a blind eye, yes but not actually blind. It sucks that the world cannot empathise and change the horrendous condition of the gender discrimination that exists. It sucks that we have been fighting for it since forever and that too is not enough.
So women in Mexico went on a 24-hour strike to protest against the rising violence against women. They decided to stay home to give a glimpse into what the world would be without women. Around 10 women are killed in Mexico every day, so clearly the world is okay with letting femicide happen. They called their strike “”a day without us” or “a day without women” and several women mass bunked their offices, stayed home from schools and abandoned the streets. Stores were empty, public transport was full of men and it looked like the after effect of an apocalypse.
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In February, the country’s attorney general revealed that femicides in Mexico has increased by 137% over the last five years. Just recently, a Mexican woman was raped, skinned and killed, photos of which were plastered all over the newspapers.
The effects were significant and Mexico City looked empty as no women left the house. A bus driver tweeted a photo of an empty bus behind him and wrote, “The city without women looks very sad.”
People posted pictures of half-empty classrooms, parking lots and offices. Even street vendors and some stores were shut down. Considering that women make up for around 40% of the country’s workforce, it would affect the economy significantly if women back out.
“In Mexico it’s like we’re in a state of war,” said María de la Luz Estrada, coordinator of the National Citizen’s Observatory of Femicide. She further added, “We’re in a humanitarian crisis because of the quantity of women that have disappeared or been killed.”
ALSO READ: Ingrid Escamilla, A Mexican Woman Was Murdered And Skinned By Her Partner. The Women Of The Country Have Taken To The Streets In Protest
I believe this is a great opportunity for our society to reflect on its condition and maybe such movements should reach other countries too. Because women are in danger all over the world and this is an emergency!
