The Author, Cynthia Bejarano, recalls on the tragedy that was the Campo Algodonero case of 2001 where the bodies of eight girls were found and how this case played an important role in the justice for femicides and the feminicidal violence in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. Bejarano mentions how in 2002 an organization, Amigos de las Mujeres de Juárez, which she was a part of helped the victims search for answers that they felt the Mexican government wasn’t giving them. Bejarano gives us a brief breakdown of the feminicidal violence happening in Juárez and neighboring cities along the border and tell us about the rising numbers of missing and/or killed women. In the case of Campo Algodonero, it was work of activist organizations and the families of the victims who sought answers from the government. The court case of González et al. (“Campo Algodonero”) v. Méxicobrought some reparations for the victims’ families via the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and an important precedent regarding femicides.
I believe that this article by Cynthia Bejarano is a helpful read for anyone would like to know more about the issue of femicide and more specifically the effect it has on Ciudad Juárez. It is a great secondary source regarding the tragedy at Campo Algodonero, from meeting the families of victims and helping them to later find purposely forgotten evidence where the girls’ dead bodies were found. Not only that but the importance of citing the court battle victory over the Mexican government and the importance it plays in future cases.
This source is important to the larger theme of our course which is human right violations in Latin America. The battle for government trust in inhuman cases has become an issue for Latin American States and in this particular case with the city of Juárez and the missing women. This case is only a portion of violations that Latin American women deal with.
