AMERICA/MEXICO - "Poverty has a female face": alarming discrimination against women

Durango (Agenzia Fides) - The Auxiliary Bishop of Durango, His Exc. Mgr. Enrique Sanchez Martinez, denounced "the alarming discrimination against women in Mexico", in particular in his diocese. He said that "violence against women in Durango is alarming, according to official figures, the rate of death for this reason doubled in 2009, when 6.72 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants were recorded."
In a statement released by the Mexican Episcopal Conference (CEM) and sent to Fides Agency, the Archbishop informs that there have been many investigations and studies with different approaches on the subject, and even the Catholic Church has carried out its own study.
The United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America (CEPAL), in the report "Del dicho to hecho" (from words to deeds), observes that in 10 years there has been some progress in the recognition of women's rights, but officials and authorities, including judges, do not apply these rules, so ill-treatment, abuse and discrimination continue. Mgr. Sanchez Martinez also noted that the American continent is still the most unequal and dangerous region for women because they are subject to mistreatment, sexual abuse within the family, maternal mortality and abortion. One Latin American woman in 10 suffers physical violence. The fertility rate has decreased from 5.9 children in the 50s to 2.4 in the first five years of the new century, but pregnancy among adolescents has doubled. In a nutshell, the Bishop said that "poverty has a female face." The objective reasons is due to the persistence of prejudices transmitted through the family and school education, the lack of equality between men and women, the lack of protection to family life and motherhood, exploitation through human trafficking and prostitution. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 25/7/2012)