Women from Mexico marched to put violence, inequality and discrimination faced by women in spotlight

Women from Mexico marched on Saturday through San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Mexico’s Chiapas state, to draw attention to the violence, inequality, and discrimination that women suffer there.

The demonstrators made their way to the city’s central park while carrying banners, balloons, and white handkerchiefs worn as a sign of peace on their wrists. They demanded respect and visibility with slogans like “I have the right to play without fear,” “Fight for Girls,” and “We are a girls’ club and we deserve respect.”

A small number of march supporters, including men and children, were also there. They had banners that said phrases like, “Respect for women,” “Stop discrimination and violence against women,” and other similar things.

The purpose of this march, according to Jennifer Haza, director of Melel Xojobal, who spoke to EFE, is to draw attention to the issues in Chiapas.

This march is held annually to draw attention to the issues in Chiapas, where, according to Jennifer Haza, 21% of girls between the ages of three and 17 do not attend school.

She added that the number of pregnancies among girls under the age of 15 is second highest in the country in this state.

According to data from the National Survey on the Dynamics of Household Relationships 2021, in Chiapas, 20.2 percent of the population of women aged 15 and older have encountered instances of violence at school throughout the course of their life.

According to a report by the Network for the Rights of Children in Mexico, Chiapas state had the highest number of pregnancies among girls under the age of 15 in the country in 2020, totaling 1,139, or 95 pregnancies per month.

The group added that between 2018 and 2022, 1,220 girls between the ages of one and 17 went missing, with 76 percent of them being between the ages of 12 and 17.

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