• NUMBERS: The number of women killed in Mexico in January reached a total of 319 counting both alleged murders and femicides according to the latest data from Mexico’s national public security system. The figure is 5.6% larger than the 302 killings recorded in January 2019.
• FEMICIDE: Triggering a string of mass street protests across Mexico, the number of alleged femicides across all Mexican states reached 72 this past January compared to 75 recorded in January 2019. Femicide is defined as the murder of a woman because of her gender.
• MURDER: Separately, the number of alleged murders of women (not classified as femicides) reached 247 in January, up from 226 in January 2019. Engulfed in a criminal wave between two violent gangs, the central state of Guanajuato recorded 49 women murdered in January.
• PUNISHMENT: Mexico’s Attorney General Office (FGR) asked Congress to reform the federal criminal code by increasing the maximum prison sentence for femicide from 60 to 65 years in years. It also asked Congress to expand the legal grounds for accusing someone of femicide.
