CANCÚN, Quintana Roo — Feminist organizations across Quintana Roo are raising their voices once again, demanding justice and investigations with gender perspective after a disturbing 10-day period that saw multiple violent attacks against women and children.
The activist group Siempre Unidas (Always United) reported that within just 10 days, a nine-year-old girl was sexually abused, another girl survived an attempted infantile femicide, four women were murdered, and a pregnant woman died by apparent suicide in the tourist-heavy state.
“These are demands we’ve been making forever, but it never hurts to repeat them, over and over, until we hope someday they’ll be fulfilled,” said Tania Ramírez, a member of Siempre Unidas, speaking from Cancún this week.
The recent violence has reignited concerns in a state that has struggled with gender-based violence for years. Quintana Roo, home to popular destinations like Cancún and Playa del Carmen, has operated under a federal gender violence alert since 2017 — a mechanism designed to coordinate emergency actions when violence against women reaches critical levels.
Budget Shortfalls Hampering Progress
Ramírez pointed to insufficient funding as the root of many institutional failures. “What we see as most urgent is the budget issue, because all governments always give us the same excuse: there isn’t enough money,” she explained.
The group’s demands include adequate budgets with gender perspective, trained personnel with decent wages, protection orders that actually work beyond virtual applications, effective attention to children, and immediate police response with proper training.
The activists also denounced corruption within justice centers, where victims are reportedly asked for money to advance their cases. “Unfortunately, we’ve detected quite a few irregularities within the justice centers, where victims are asked for money to move files,” Ramírez said. “We’ve already reported this to authorities because they need to investigate and clean house, because there is corruption within these prosecutor’s offices.”
National Context of Violence
Mexico faces one of the world’s highest rates of violence against women. According to recent data, approximately 10 women are murdered daily across the country, with around 3,000 women killed in 2023 due to gender-based violence.
The problem extends beyond individual cases. A national survey revealed that 70.1% of women in Mexico have experienced some form of violence in their lifetimes, with 39.9% of that violence coming from intimate partners.
Quintana Roo’s gender alert covers 11 municipalities, including popular tourist areas, but activists say the designation has had limited impact. Despite the alert being in place for eight years, violence against women continues to increase.
Corruption and Institutional Failures
The feminist groups highlighted systemic problems beyond funding. They noted insufficient forensic doctors, specialized personnel shortages in prosecutor’s offices, and justice centers where corruption undermines investigations.
“Without budget there isn’t enough personnel, so there aren’t enough medical examiners, very specific issues needed within specialized prosecutor’s offices and justice centers,” Ramírez explained.
The activists emphasized that current measures often amount to empty gestures. “Authorities need to do more than put up billboards that say ‘I do believe you’ if when reporting there’s no follow-up to cases, nor effective protection for victims,” Ramírez stated.
Regional Pattern of Gender Violence
The violence in Quintana Roo reflects broader patterns across Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula region. Feminist activists in neighboring Yucatán have also organized protests, including unveiling monuments to commemorate victims of gender-based violence.
Some Mexican states have seen progress — between 2023 and 2024, national rates of sexual assault fell by 6.1% and family violence decreased by 2.9%. However, these improvements have been uneven, with states like Quintana Roo continuing to report concerning levels of violence.
Call for Government Action
Siempre Unidas directed their demands to all three levels of government — municipal, state, and federal. They want institutions free of corruption, trained personnel, and processes that guarantee truth and justice.
“Definitely, it’s a call to all three orders of government. We’ve made it countless times, and we’ll keep doing it and demanding it, until it becomes reality in the state,” Ramírez concluded.
The gender violence alert in Quintana Roo covers an area of approximately 50,212 square kilometers (19,387 square miles) — roughly the size of South Carolina. Some officials have suggested lifting the alert, but activists argue this would be premature given the continuing violence.
The feminist groups maintain that real change requires more than policy declarations. They seek fundamental shifts in how institutions respond to gender-based violence, with adequate resources and personnel trained to handle cases with the gravity they deserve.
Sources: La Jornada Maya, Mexico Peace Index 2025, Vision of Humanity, Wilson Center Policy Brief on Gender-Based Violence in Mexico, PBS NewsHour, RE!NSTITUTE Gender Violence in Quintana Roo Report, National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI)