So far this year, 652 complaints have been filed for the crime of threats, according to figures from Mexico’s Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System.
In Durango, aggressors have a mechanism that discourages women from filing complaints. This involves pretending to be influential citizens, while also claiming connections to organized crime. Women may believe that what they are being told will actually happen, which contributes to the small number of convictions obtained.
The State Congress has proposed that a protocol could be created to notify authorities when a person threatens or intimidates a woman, allowing officials to be aware of the situation.
Julieta Hernández Camargo, president of Sí Hay Mujeres en Durango, said she considers that 90 percent of crimes against women are related to threats. She also stated that threats are a mechanism used by men to discourage women from filing complaints about these acts.
Hernández Camargo said that of the approximately 2,600 domestic violence complaints filed through June, threats play an important role in 90 percent of the cases.
She explained that among these threats are specific mechanisms in which aggressors pretend to be influential people within the Durango State Attorney General’s Office, the Superior Court of Justice, or even members of organized crime.
“Of the 2,600 complaints involving domestic violence, I can assure you that 90 percent involve threats. I have experienced it myself, and they always threaten to take away their children, threaten to kill them, threaten to kill a relative, claim they have friends in the Attorney General’s Office, or say they have friends in the Supreme Court of Justice. And, of course, they also claim to have connections to organized crime.”
In this regard, the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System reported that, through July, there were 3,417 investigation files involving crimes against families.
Of these, 3,091 correspond to domestic violence, 86 to failure to comply with family support obligations, and 240 to other crimes against the family.
The activist said one important issue is the situation in which women find themselves when they believe that their aggressors really are influential people or genuinely have connections to organized crime.
“Women, obviously, given the sensitive situation they are in, believe it. I often tell them, don’t believe it, don’t think that the Attorney General’s Office or the court will get involved, or that organized crime will get involved in domestic violence matters. I don’t think it is a priority issue for those institutions. I can’t imagine the Attorney General’s Office getting involved in that matter just because I am afraid or because someone tells me something. But women, because of the vulnerability they are experiencing, become afraid because of the threats and withdraw. Because of the threats, they do not reach the courts. They don’t get there because they are genuinely afraid.”
One consequence is a lower number of both complaints and trials involving crimes committed by men against women.
“They are very afraid that they will be harmed by everything they are being told. It is terrible, and I find it difficult to resolve because in cases of violence, what is prosecuted, what is tried and what is sentenced is the violence itself. Not the threats.”
She explained that when only threats are reported, legal proceedings generally do not move forward, and convictions in the state are rare.
“Threats alone do not lead to trials. Almost no one is going to report threats. There are very few cases, only when there is violence. Well, threats are also violence.”
In this regard, Gabriela Vázquez Chacón, a local legislator from the National Action Party, said that it is necessary to consider implementing a clear action protocol for any threat reported by a woman because, unfortunately, some cases have ended in deaths.
“I think that would be ideal, starting there, because I understand that proving it is complicated. Perhaps the person would be detained, but they could easily be released, and that is not the objective. It would be worthwhile to work on a protocol, as you mentioned, or to give it the importance it deserves, and for the person making the threat to know that the authorities are already aware and that this could deter them.”
Another point mentioned by the legislator was the difficulty of proving this crime. However, there are documented cases of femicide and attacks against women in which threats made by aggressors against victims were dismissed.
“The truth is that it is a complicated issue because, if we look at reality, we could address the issue through the Attorney General’s Office and the competent authorities. The difficulty is proving it, but what happens in a situation like this? We know stories where someone was threatened repeatedly, the threats were ignored, and then it ended in femicide or in a serious incident. In this situation, the competent authority should take action when a threat is made, before something more serious, a crime, can occur.”
The local legislator said that it is important to raise the alarm, although the necessary measures have not been taken in every case to prevent women from eventually being attacked.
“We understand that proving it as such is difficult, but we have also heard these unfortunate stories. That is why I insist that the competent authority has to act. Perhaps they will not detain the person immediately because of the threat, but they could monitor them, protect the victim, or impose a restriction on the person.”
Meanwhile, Óscar Moreno, president of the Federation Committee of the Confederation of Industrial Chambers, said that the number of formal complaints reflected in the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System is low because local figures also exist, providing a clearer picture of the hidden number of cases.
“Let’s remember that these threats have been increasing. We must not forget that we have 16 municipalities under a gender violence alert, and the reality is that there are more than 9,000 domestic violence investigation files at the State Council for Violence Against Women and Children. In other words, those 500-plus complaints are very few because the reality is much more serious. Unfortunately, this is something society is setting aside. Without removing responsibility from the authorities, it is impossible to have a police officer inside every home.”
He stated that the economic situation is another factor contributing to threats. Limited household income, both locally and nationally, aggravates the situation of violence. Although Durango is around the national average economically, he said it remains a factor that contributes to violence.
“Threats are increasing because of the situation of violence, because of stress, and because of the working poverty experienced by the country.”
David Anaya, a specialist in cybersecurity and online security issues, said that in most cases, people who threaten others are unaware that threats constitute a crime, or they make them during moments when they lose control of their words. However, records of those threats remain on social media.
Source: msn
