Mexican state votes to toughen legislation against femicides and acid attacks
SARAH MORLAND
Thu, Mar 2, 2023, 6:26 PM CST
2 min read
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Local lawmakers in Mexico approved legislation on Thursday that would suspend parental rights for men being investigated for femicide, the first such reform in the country, as well as ramping up sanctions for those responsible for acid attacks.
Mexico faces some of the world's highest levels of gender violence, and spates of femicides - murders of women or girls on basis of their gender - has sparked fierce protests as women fight for more accountability.
Legislators in central Puebla state unanimously backed a reform to "remove, suspend or modify parental rights in cases of femicide," prompting loud cheers in the chamber following a minute's silence for femicide victims.
The reform is known as Monzon's law after lawyer Cecilia Monzon, who was shot dead last May. Authorities later arrested the key suspect, a former congressman and father of her child.
State lawmakers also unanimously approved legislation to sanction acid attacks with up to 40 years in prison, treating the crime as an equivalent to attempted femicide.
The reform, nicknamed Malena's law, honors saxophone player Maria Elena Rios, who testified at the debate three years after surviving an acid attack in her home which left her severely burned.
More:
https://sports.yahoo.com/mexican-state-votes-toughen-legislation-002632436.html
