Nobel laureates highlight violence against women in Mexico, Central America
By Mariano Castillo, CNN

June 5, 2012 -- Updated 2339 GMT (0739 HKT)


The report into violence against women was led by Nobel laureates Jody Williams (R) and Rigoberta Menchu (L)

(CNN) -- Increased militarization in Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala has created more insecurity, especially for women, a report spearheaded by two Nobel laureates found.

"The war on drugs ... has become a war on women," Nobel Peace Prize laureates Jody Williams and Rigoberta Menchu wrote in the report, based on a 10-day fact-finding mission. "Efforts to improve 'security' have only led to greater militarization, rampant corruption and abuse within police forces and an erosion of rule of law."

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In the three countries studied, the respective governments are facing a national security threat from drug cartels. To wrest control from the encroaching drug cartels and to protect citizens, these countries have responded with a strong hand. Most are familiar with Mexico's case, in which nearly 50,000 have been killed in drug cartel-related violence since 2006. More recently, Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina was elected in part because of his promises of a strong response to the violence.

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"Increasing militarization and police repression under the guise of the war on drugs has led to more violence overall and more frequent attacks on women, who lead efforts to protect their communities against threats to their lands and natural resources, and protest military and police abuses," the report states.

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The report found that femicides increased by 257% in Honduras from 2002 to 2010, a period that saw a doubling of U.S. money for military and police.

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http://edition.cnn.com/2012/06/05/world/americas/mexico-violence-women/index.html