Thousands protest violence against women in Mexico cities

Mexican women have staged a protest rally in the capital Mexico City, demanding justice in the case of a young woman who was kidnapped and murdered.

Thousands of demonstrators marched on Sunday from Mexico City’s Zocalo, or central plaza, to the attorney general’s office, where they staged performances denouncing the inaction of the authorities in the face of violence against women.

Mara Castilla’s body was found on Friday in the neighboring state of Puebla, one week after hiring a cab from a ride-sharing app called Cabify similar to Uber.

Prosecutors say the Cabify driver kidnapped Mara, a 19-year-old student, and took her to a hotel, where he sexually assaulted her and strangled and beat her to death.

Afterward, he dumped the body in an area near a hotel. The alleged killer was identified only as Ricardo N.

“It wasn’t your fault, Mara,” read a sign carried by one the marchers, rejecting attempts to shift the blame on her.

Edgar Arriaga, a 22-year-old sociology student, criticized what he said was the “criminalization of women.” “It seems unjust to me to say that because you go out ... or something like that, that it’s a justification for murder.”

“We live with fear and that is a reality,” said Pixie, a 27-year-old teacher.

Similar protest rallies were staged in other Mexican cities.

Castilla’s murder was the 83rd of a woman documented in Puebla this year by civic organizations and the 59th publicly acknowledged by the state attorney’s office.