Protection Measures for Foreign Students in Mexico Following Recent Feminicide
· Telemundo McAllen (KTLM)
MEXICO CITY – Sharing their location, learning to navigate alone, and constantly notifying others of their safety have become part of the routine for foreign exchange students in Mexico, according to several students returning to Spain who spoke with EFE. This experience takes on a new dimension following the feminicide of 21-year-old Claudia Tacoronte. The murder of the university student on September 12 in Cuautla, Morelos, reignited concerns about gender violence in a country where five women go missing each day and thousands of gender-based assaults occur annually. As a result, young women arriving from abroad must adapt their mobility and social habits. To navigate public spaces, students quickly adopt self-care strategies, which include avoiding areas deemed dangerous and using women-only sections on public transport. "I gradually realized what I needed to adapt to; for example, it got dark earlier than in Spain, and that’s when life in the streets ended, so I also started to head home at that time," explained Isabel, a young Spanish woman who completed her internship in Mexico City, during a phone conversation after returning to Spain. "I was almost too afraid to go." In light of the ongoing violence in Mexico and distrust of their surroundings, the decision to participate in an academic exchange in the country often comes with intense family doubts and constant warnings about the risks involved. "I was almost not going because of fear; my family, friends, no one supported me," Marina, a Spanish tourism student who spent six months of her final year in Cancún, Mexico, told EFE.
AI summary · Source: Telemundo McAllen (KTLM) →
