Carta Abierta a los que les molesta #NoMeCuidanMeViolan
They don’t protect us, they rape us
Translation and intro by
This is an open letter to individuals who are bothered by the current #NoMeCuidanMeViolan movement in Mexico, which has formed in response to the recent rapes of two young women by members of the Mexican police force while on duty. A 17-year-old woman was gang-raped by four police officers in the back of a patrol car while on her way home. Another young woman, age 16, was raped by a police officer on duty while visiting a museum in the city center. “No me cuidan, me violan,” which translates to “they don’t protect us, they rape us,” has become the rallying cry of those who are protesting the lack of accountability in these cases and the horrendous reality for women in Mexico, where it is estimated that nine are killed every day as a result of violence against women. Ale wrote this letter in response to a man who told her that women had been “throwing a fit” for “three days,” referring to his growing impatience with the protests. During the protests, the Mexican Security Minister was sprayed with pink glitter, which has drawn criticism from some, and has become a symbol of power and unity among others.
Qué sorpresa saber que un comentario así fue tuyo. Has tenido acceso a una educación de primera, sin mencionar la relevancia de un tema así a la profesión que ejerces y a la situación en la que está estancado nuestro país- y el mundo-.
Si no quieres involucrarte personalmente, adelante. Pero no es tu lugar juzgar a las personas que sí lo estamos haciendo. A diferencia de la tuya, nuestra posición viene de un lugar en donde el egoísmo no tiene lugar. A estas alturas si un tema así no te hace ni cosquillas, tienes demasiadas cosas que replantearte. Eso significa que estás situado en una posición privilegiada. Una posición en la que tienes la opción de tomar la decisión de involucrarte o no, porque como no te afecta directamente a TI, no hay bronca. No sé si has tenido el interés de ver cifras sobre estos temas, pero son preocupantes. Y te recuerdo a la cantidad de mujeres que tienes a tu alrededor. ¿No te importa que esto les afecte a ellas?
Esos comentarios y las personas que los hacen, además de que a mi parecer no tienen nada de criterio, empatía e información, solo demuestra cómo las personas como tú son parte del problema. Son parte de la raíz del problema. ¿Cómo puedes pensar que la estamos “armando de pedo”? ¿Qué tiene que el tema siga presente durante tres días? Para mí, son pocos. Esto pasa diario. Cada 4 minutos para ser más específica.
¿Tienes idea de lo que una violación puede desencadenar? ¿Tienes idea de cómo puede afectar la integridad de una persona? ¿Tienes idea de lo que es sentir miradas mientras caminas por la calle? ¿O lo que se siente escuchar cómo te alburean? ¿Has tenido miedo de ir caminando y que te puedan violar y matar? ¿La impotencia que se siente de que nuestro sistema no haga nada al respecto? ¿Que gente “educada” como tú pueda pensar así? ¿Cómo puedes ser tan egocéntrico? Qué tristeza.
Me sorprende que la gente se enoje más y se escandalice tanto con un par de vidrios rotos, unas cuantas manifestaciones y brillantina, que con el hecho de que hay feminicidios y violaciones diario. No puedo entenderlo.
Las cosas no están bien, y deberías de darte un traguito de realidad de vez en cuando porque esto está mucho más cerca de lo que crees, pasa mucho más seguido de lo que te puedes imaginar, y le pasa a personas que tal vez conoces, el abuso sexual no discrimina. Con un comentario así, automáticamente quedas descartado para que alguien, que tal vez pasó por esta situación tan inhumana, se atreva a pedirte ayuda.
Deberías de tener el criterio de informarte antes de dar una opinión tan poco relevante, tan poco sustentada y tan egoísta. Y si no te interesa informarte, entonces no te metas, por favor no difundas tu forma de pensar y por favor cuida tus palabras. Gente como tú propicia a que estas cosas se normalicen y a que las personas que estamos haciendo algo porque dejen de pasar o dejen de tener impunidad, no seamos tomadas en serio. Es justo lo que no necesitamos y lo que demerita todo por lo que estamos luchando- tanto mujeres como hombres-.
How surprising it was to hear a comment like that from you. Not only have you had access to a world-class education that should prevent you from making baseless comments like these, but these current events we are experiencing in our country — and throughout our world — should carry particular weight for you, as a lawyer.
If you don’t want to get involved personally, that’s fine. But it’s not your place to judge people who do get involved and stand up for what is right. Unlike you, most women understand that ego has no place during times like these. If cases of violence against women this extreme do not even cause you to bat an eyelash, then you need to do some self-reflection. This means you are in a position of privilege. How lucky you are that you can choose whether you want to be involved or not — to know that your personal wellbeing isn’t at stake. I’m not sure if you’ve looked at statistics on violence against women in Mexico, but they are extremely worrisome. Might I remind you of the women you care about that surround you? Do you not even care that they, one day, might become one of these statistics?
Comments like these — apart from lacking any empathy, fact, or critical thinking — just prove that the people who make them are part of the problem. How can you possibly think that we are “throwing a fit?” Why does it bother you that it has been going for three days? If you ask me, that’s nothing. Why? Because violence against women happens daily. Actually, every 4 minutes, specifically.
Do you have any idea the kind of unraveling a rape can cause in a person? Do you know how it affects their integrity? Do you know what it’s like to feel eyes on you while you walk down the street? Or how it feels to be catcalled? Have you ever feared for your life, worried that you might be assaulted, raped, then killed while walking home? Have you ever felt the fury knowing that even if you were, the system wouldn’t allow anyone to seek justice for you? Do you know how frustrating is it to know that educated people, like you, still think like you do? How can you be so egotistical? These realities make me angry.
I can’t understand how some people are more angry and vocal over broken glass, protests, and glitter, than they are over the fact that women are raped and murdered daily — just because they are women. I can’t understand that.
Things are not okay. If you gave yourself a reality check every once in a while, you’d realize that this is much closer to home than you think. It happens more often than you realize; in fact, it probably happens to people you know and love — sexual assault does not discriminate. By making comments like you did, no one who has ever experienced assault or aggression will feel like they can come to you for support or safety. Is that what you want to do to the people you love?
I wish you had the decency to inform yourself before you start giving out opinions that lack anything — relevance, substance, empathy, fact — other than ego. If you’re not interested in learning the facts, fine — then don’t get involved. Please don’t make it more difficult for us who are fighting for a more just, safe world. Please don’t perpetuate your way of thinking, because it is counterproductive and, in fact, dangerous. Please take care of what you say. People like you are responsible for the normalization of violence against women. People like you make it so that people like me, who are trying to speak up and do what is right, are not taken seriously. That is precisely what we do not need, because it demeans everything that we — women and men — are fighting for.
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