‘Pink Glitter’ Feminist Movement Pushes For Change In Mexico

By Rodrigo Cervantes
Published: Tuesday, August 20, 2019 - 1:47pm
Updated: Wednesday, August 21, 2019 - 8:33am
Audio icon Download mp3 (1.01 MB)
Rodrigo Cervantes/KJZZ
Graffiti on a mailbox in Mexico City after a feminist protest. It reads: "Machismo is the system."

MEXICO CITY — It all started last week when feminists threw pink glitter at Mexico City’s police chief to protest the unsolved case of a girl allegedly raped by cops. Mayor Claudia Sheimbaum stated afterwards that her government would not be provoked — but feminists have responded.

Thousands of people protested last Friday against gender violence in what many started to call "The Pink Glitter Movement."

The rally left behind some public spaces and monuments vandalized, dividing public opinion between those who condemned the acts and those who justified them.

Priscilla Palomares is an activist who participated in the protest. She is founder of the nonprofit “Acoso en la U,” which fights sexual assault inside universities.

“Seventy percent of women in my country have suffered sexual assault at least once,” the activist said.

Palomares said there seems to be more concern from media and society about the material damages after Friday’s protest rather than by women being victimized.

 “For many years it was something that happened in silence. And now we’re raising our voice, and it’s important to be heard,” Palomares said.

After the protest, Sheimbaum promised to work with feminist organizations. There are no plans on a federal level. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador stated that people in Mexico are “happy, happy” and invited feminists to protest peacefully.

Palomares said she hopes that the movement spreads all over Mexico and pushes for changes toward a society where women are more protected and don't have to fear the police.

About 450 women in Mexico were murdered in cases classified as femicides during the first half of the year, according to official data.

PoliticsFronterasMexico