Violence against Women in Mexico City

Violence against women in Mexico remains a significant and growing public health and human rights crisis. Cultural attitudes and rigid, socially constructed gender roles may override safety concerns, making it likely that women will remain victims in their abusive relationships. For these women, intimate partner violence (IPV) can also be a taboo topic that is often difficult to talk about, limiting their ability to seek help. Growing financial independence, lack of knowledge of women’s rights in IPV situations, lack of access to resources, and adherence to rigid cultural norms, all perpetuate the cycle of violence. This chapter examines the relationship between migration (in-country and transnational), IPV, physical and mental health, and substance use, with a focus on Mexican migrant women in Mexico City and Southeast Texas (U.S.). Study results will influence practice and policy with regard to IPV prevention, screening, and treatment of migrant women, with broader applications to other groups of women (e.g., refugees and other minority women in the U.S.).