In 2006 a protest took place in the town of San Salvador Atenco in Mexico. Police arrested over 200 people, including 26 women. Marcia Patricia Romeo Hernández was one of the 26 women arrested, she described
it as “something that haunts me and you don’t survive. It stays with you.” Every woman arrested claimed against being a victim of sexual and seven claimed they were rapped. With a decade pasting since the protest, it means these women have been victims of injustice.
When the women first took their case to court, they were denied justice by the belief from Mexico’s new President Enrique Peña Nieto, who was governor of the town in 2006, that they were trying to “discredit the government”. Now after ten years of being denied justice, 11 out of the 26 have taken their case to the International Human Rights court. Since doing this, the human right's court has taken immediate action to investigate the victim’s claims.
The international Human Rights court have yet to find any evidence that is worthy to persecute the police officers who victimized the women. With the women taking their case to international human rights court, the President is also being investigated for his part in the 2006 protests. Amongst other aspects of Mr Peña Nieto time as President, he is now the lowest rated Mexican President of all time.
Even though the women, along with many other victims who were harmed in 2006, are facing injustice. They have still raised awareness around the subject matter of rape and police brutality, the awareness that has made many understand that no victim should have to face the injustice these 26 women have been victims too.
