Following a wave of outrage sparked by the promotion of a workshop called “Create Your Forensic Kit in Case of Disappearance,” offered by the municipality of Santo Domingo Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, Mayor Ana Cecilia Pérez Velásquez dismissed the person responsible for organizing the event, which was part of the commemorative activities for International Women’s Day.
The workshop was heavily criticized on social media by feminist groups, searchers for missing persons, and human rights activists, who considered it to normalize violence against women and femicides.
In a statement released on the Facebook page of the City Hall located in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, Pérez Velásquez announced “the immediate removal from her position as head of the Municipal Youth Institute of Dr. Keyla Karlet Calvo Vásquez.”
Emerging from the ranks of Morena, the mayor stated that “no action that generates concern or that is not conducted with the care and responsibility that public service demands will be tolerated.”
Without mentioning the characteristics of the workshop or why she was reaffirming her commitment to “conducting public service with responsibility, institutional sensitivity, and respect for the citizens,” the mayor instructed that “the mechanisms of supervision and coordination between the City Hall departments be strengthened.”
She reiterated that she will act with “responsibility, transparency, and firmness, always prioritizing the well-being, trust, and respect of the people of Santo Domingo Tehuantepec.”
On the same City Hall website, Keyla Karlet Calvo Vázquez, the person in charge of the workshop to create the “forensic kit in case of disappearance,” uploaded a video in which she offered “a sincere public apology for the discomfort that the way in which this activity was communicated may have generated.”
In her nearly four-minute message, in which she was accompanied by her colleagues, the former official from Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, acknowledged that the issue is “sensitive for many families and should always be communicated with greater care and respect.”
According to Calvo Vázquez, “the intention of this initiative was never to trivialize or disrespect the victims or their families,” however, she acknowledged that “the message disseminated was not appropriate,” hence her announcement of the cancellation of the workshop and the removal of the post.
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In previous days, a post on the Santo Domingo Tehuantepec City Hall page generated outrage due to the call for the workshop “Create your forensic kit in case of disappearance,” considered an activity “within the framework of March 8th,” and classified as an activity that “is reserved as a safe and exclusive space for women.”
The workshop was scheduled for Friday, March 6th at 5:00 PM at Casa Guetiqui in Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, but was canceled that same day due to criticism from activists and citizens.
It should also be noted that researcher Becky Bios denounced the workshop idea as her own and alleged that the City Council was plagiarizing her materials by using them without authorization. She explained that her proposal is not revictimizing, unlike the actions of the Tehuantepec authorities.
Source: quintafuerza
