September 18, 2018

Institutions and experts that formed the Observatorio de Participación Política de las Mujeres-The observatory of political participation of the women- in Edomex, they will launch a protocol of acting, to manage events of political violence against the women in their different expressions, because can include from events of moral harassment, in intents of discredit or defamation of the victim, to the acts of discrimination, physical, sexual attacks, of the symbolic type or economic violence. The political violence “ for reasons of gender”, has the purpose of block or limit the participation of the woman in “political business” and it's not just for candidates, also can be eventually oriented against journalists (especially to whom write about political business), activists and communitarian leaders.

The guide, that it’s built with support of experts of theTribunal Electoral del Poder Judicial de la Federación - Electoral Tribunal of the Judicial Power of the Federation- the Instituto Nacional para la Democracia- the National Institute for Democracy -, the Instituto Electoral del Estado de México -the Electoral Institute of the State of Mexico- and another organisms of the state government, also it wants stop these attacks, informed Yemara López Hernández , to impart the conference “what is political violence against the women in question of gender?, in the IEEM.

During her participation in the forum “tools to prevent and attend political violence against the women in question of gender” and before an auditory integrated by women that are trustees, mayors and councilors elected, also deputies and activist, the expert of the TEPJF, presented and explained that the federal protocol that already exist to the attention of political violence against women, whereby give support to the local protocol, that in no time will be presented.

She pointed out that it exists expressions of political violence, that in general it’s going to increase of intensity and with different variants, some of these expressions can start with false indictments, defamation, slurs and forms of the language that are looking for minimize to the women, denied them their quality of “people”. This kind of “moral harassment”, can be transmitted through social media, journalistic notes or restrict them the use of the word in meetings; spread falsehood, expressions of mockery or of contempt, disrespect; deprivation of property or its destruction; exclusion in the take of decisions, etc, with the only purpose of prevent trough several means the exercise of a political or civilian right , as for example, the exercise of a public charge.

Yamara López Hernández, indicated that this harassment can be increased until the physical violence, the kidnapping, the rape or the murder, whereby it’s important that the women “politically actives” (Including activists and journalists) know the form of acting when they can face an event of political violence.

In other hand the counselor of the IEEM, María Guadalupe González Jordán, considered that it is necessary that check the content penalties in the law to punish the “political violence for reasons of gender” against the women, but if the crime is defined and it punishes with six months and until two years in prison, the local penal code establishes that this punishment can be switched for the payment of a bond, it means, that the aggressors can avoid the jail.

IT HAS TO FINISH THE POLITICAL VIOLENCE FOR REASONS OF GENDER

During the inauguration of the forum, the president of the IEEM, Pedro Zamudio Godínez, highlighted that the political violence against the women in reason of gender is a violation to the human rights that in occasions goes unnoticed, it’s because of that, in September 2017, added to the campaign #it’snotthecost: stop to the political violence against the women, coordinated in Mexico by the Instituto Nacional Demócrata para Asuntos Internacionales - National Democratic Institute for International Affairs- .

She also highlighted that in the past elections it has important historical results because the LX legislature of the State of Mexico is integrated for 37 women and 38 men, and in the 125 municipal presidencies, until the moment 39 women are elected, certainly, she added that there are data that motivate to follow working of the hand of the political parties and of the institutions.

Translator: Pamela Ortíz Ríos

Mary Delgado