Saturday, December 8, 2012

Dvelopment in Mexico


The process of globalization, is integrating the world in a new way that is empowering individuals to take part in the global community. In general, this is seen as a good thing, allowing for the dissemination of information and technology across state boarders and facilitating trade. However, globalization is not occurring at a uniform rate across the world and in some instances is causing more problems than solving them. Northern Mexico is populated by factories called Maquiladoras which have brought thousands of jobs to Mexico, jobs that were then lost in the recession because of an integrated global economy. In addition, globalization has also failed to stop the violence experienced in border towns, a violence that has been carried out against women in Mexico to the point of femicide. The international community remains more concerned with promoting the benefits of globalization and is marginalizing the young women of northern Mexico in the process.
Starting in the 1990s cities along the US-Mexico border experienced “a wave of attacks […] that left hundreds of women dead over the course of the decade,” and some reports argue that the number reaches thousands  (Cave). Meanwhile the perpetrators go free and the Mexican government and local police remain unproductive because “murders are rarely investigated and only 1 percent are even decided upon” (“Juarez Murders”). The reasons for the murders are varied according to one criminal investigator who claimed that “there is everything, there are jealous husbands, jealous father –in-laws, there are women killing women” (Cave). There are causes that range from domestic violence to the organ and drug trade and most are characterized by extreme aggression, or sexual assault or both (Riley). The lack of a central motives highlights the extent of violence experienced in Juarez, to the point where almost anything has become grounds for murder because “life [in Juarez] just has so little value” (Cave). This violence however has not subsided and has carried over, the death toll in 2010 reached 304 women and 2012 has already seen more deaths than previous years (Cave).
Ciudad Juarez, located just 20 miles south of the boarder is at the center of these female homicides as well as the drug trade and globalization. It was one of the cities expected to benefit the most from the Maquiladoras in the region and yet had some of the highest death rates in the world (Larson). Women in particular were especially impacted because the maquiladoras of northern Mexico employ mostly women. Many of which migrated to neighboring towns in search of work, and are isolated from the families and the communities they left behind, making them prime targets. Subsequently the majority of the women who were killed in the femicide that started in the 90s worked at these factories and disappeared on their way to and from work. The factories, most of which are owned by American corporations and assemble goods for the American consumer market did little in terms of prevention. Women continued to work long hours which meant commuting late at night, those who showed up late were locked out, women were even found dead near the compound, and bus drivers who brought these women to the factories were arrested for murder and still their vulnerability continued to go unnoticed (Netwon). When 22 Americans went missing, a joint investigation between the US and Mexico was launched but no attention was given to the women of the maquiladoras that died (Netwon).  In short, the factories of globalization that were supposed to give jobs and integrate Mexicans into the global trade system put the young women of Mexico has also facilitated their deaths.
The reason for this occurrence of femicide in Mexico stems in part from the gender gap between women and men, a gap, that is often reduced if not closed by the dissemination of information from globalization. The subjection of women has long been a traditional aspect of Mexican culture, a culture that idealizes men. Women are expected by society to fulfill domestic roles as care givers and mothers. Women who join the workforce violate these social customs and expectations and as a result emasculate the role of men as family providers. Consequently, in places like Cuida Juarez, a large female workforce is therefore seen as a threat to these men which adds to the prejudice already against them. The cultural prominence of males known as machismo only adds to the subordination of women which makes them disposable and easy targets, problems globalization has yet to address in Mexico. In addition, globalization has also expand the drug trade in northern Mexican cities. The drug cartels of Mexico have become transnational criminal organization and their drug routes continuously operate in Mexico’s boarder cities. And with the drug trade there also comes a society of corruption and violence, which consequently destabilizes their areas of operation. Local law enforcement agencies are also infiltrated by drug cartels making them ineffective at keeping peace in Mexico.
When Mexico first joined NAFTA it was seen as an opportunity to spread the wealth generated by globalization and as a way to work against poverty and the low standard of living in the region. New factories would provide job and increase the industrial output of Mexico, and the more revenue available to the government for social reform and public works. However, very little improvements have been made in the lives of the people of Juarez and the surrounding areas in terms of security. The focus on economic progress has failed to help social progress and women are being kidnapped, sexually assaulted and killed, and to this day women continue to be caught in the middle of a culture of violence facilitated by poverty and the drug cartels. The international community needs to become more aware of this, some attention has already been drawn to the situation but most of it is restricted to condemnation for the Mexican government that remains incapable of addressing the issue. Globalization was expected to draw the world closer together, connect areas that had never been connected before, and close the social gap between women and men. The murders of the women of the maquiladoras were partly caused by globalization and can also be the tool used to address the violence the global community needs to become more aware of the situation and globalization can facilitate that dissemination of information if more of an emphasis is placed on social  components of Mexican society.






Works Cited
Missing Yong Women (Senorita Extraviada). Dir. Lourdes Portillo. PBS, 2001. DVD.
Cave, Damin. "Wave of Violence Swallows More Women in Juzarez." New York Times.
New York Times, 23 June 2012. Web. 4 Dec. 2012.
Gates, Sara. "Juarez Murders: Mexican Government Unveils Memorial For Slain Women.
"The Huffington Post.com. TheHuffingtonPost, 30 Aug. 2012. Web. 08 Dec. 2012. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/30/juarez-murders-memorial-slain-women_n_1842936.html>.
Newton, Micheal. "Los Choferes." Crime Library. N.p., 2012. Web. 07 Dec. 2012.
<http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/predators/ciudad_juarez/7.html>.
Riley, Jessica. "Brutal Female Homicides Continue in Ciudad Juarez With No End In Sight."
Examiner.com. Clarity Digital Group, 6 Apr. 2012. Web. 08 Dec. 2012. 

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