“Ni una mas” : Not one more say the women in Juarez
By: Ashley Reyes
Tags: Violence Against Women, Sexual Assault, Gender Equality, Women Of Color, Take Action

Examples of binary thinking.

The two quotes mentioned by Lauren and Rosay are examples of the enormous role that binary opposition logic plays in the way we think today. An important message enforced by Bordertown is that we must change our way of viewing the world in a binary perspective and instead be accepting and respectful of one another. Binary opposition logic is defined as terms used to characterize someone, one term being the opposite and more powerful than the other. Our society categorizes people under two categories: male or female, heterosexual or homosexual, etc. and we refuse to see beyond those terms. Binary thinking affects our daily lives because it encourages society to view certain people as more privileged and/or powerful over others depending on their physical appearance and identity. It increases competition among racial groups and social classes. In addition, this competition creates racism, violence and inequality among different groups of people.

Women of color are targeted in the most unfair manner. The women in Juarez were already seen as vulnerable targets because they were females working for an American owned factory. Women were often taking up jobs such as prostitution because of their need to provide for their families. Therefore, in the ignorant minds of many men, they generalized that all women wanted to have sex and if they had to force them to have sex, then it was not a big deal. If the government did not say anything about the first hundred rapes and murders then the government was not going to say anything about the future ones. Men were encouraged and fearless to attack the Mexican women in Juarez. It was a norm for women to be attacked after a long ten hour shift. If the women being murdered in Juarez would have been White instead of Mexican, then the story may have gone differently. I think some sort of attention would have at least been given to them. However, because they were Mexican, their murders were seen as of less importance in the eyes of the U.S. and Mexican government. The same case is for the Native women. They are women of color and because of that, their disappearances are not thoroughly investigated nor do they turn into a major public matter. The sexual assaults of women of color are simply swept under the rug.

In the article titled “National Security and the Violation of Women” Sylvanna Falcón states, “Occurrences of rape are systematic if they fall into a pattern, suggesting that they have not been left to chance… they have been the subject of prior planning.” In other words, it is fair to say that rape assaults constantly occur in similar ways as in the 1990s because the government system did and continues to do the bare minimum to look out for these women. In the movie and in the study, a pattern was present. In Juarez, the attacker would follow the women, pretend to drive them home from work, ask if it was okay to stop for gas and then take her to a desert where he would rape and murder her. In the Native women cases, they were followed and then attacked. Furthermore, Falcon later mentions in her article that women were being sexually harassed on a daily basis. Sadly it had turned into a norm for a women trying to cross the border to be raped or harassed by a man. This is a parallelism with what was seen in Bordertown and with the cases of Native women. Women working in the American owned factory knew they ran the risk of being raped and murdered on their way home from work. It is upsetting because like Falcon mentioned, we should all feel protected regardless of our racial background. However, just like the patrol agents in the border took advantage of their authority, men in Mexico and the U.S. take advantage of their power and the vulnerability of the innocent women of color. It proves how binary logic increases the probability of women being sexually assaulted and murdered. Men know women do not have the support of the government. The attackers also know women are associated with being more weak than men. Men therefore view women as powerless and easy to dominate.

Moreover, even today the number of unreported sexual assaults continue. There is a lack of support, trust and understanding in our society. In Juarez, on July 2017 a new app called “No Estoy Sola” was brought to the attention of all Juarez residents, especially women. The app works as follows: you shake your phone and an automatic alert with your location and a text message that warns everyone that you are in danger is sent to your five most recent contacts. The five contacts then can reach out to the police with the location. Also, a resource center called “Casa Amiga” was recently built in Juarez. This resource center provides victims with the support, guide and comforting that they may need after a sexual assault. In Casa Amiga, the goal is to inform people of gender inequality, the importance of speaking up for yourself or for a victim and to take action against these ignorant actions. In regards to the Native women, athletes are organizing marathons to raise funds for the victims and their families. Casa Amiga, the “No Estoy Sola” app, and the marathons are three of the most recent tools that attempt to decrease the amount of rape and sexual assaults that occur in both countries. However, like Casa Amiga mentioned in one of their campaign articles, “You think you’re making progress, and then you realize how behind the system still is.” Today, the majority of us invest a lot of time and money on technology, which is why the “No Estoy Sola” app has made a huge difference in Juarez. This proves that we should continue to invest in tools such as phone apps and non-profit organizations in order to raise awareness and provide the support that women need. The ultimate goal is to say “Ni Una Mas” and actually prove it.