CRSV: The Mexican War on Drugs
This case note documents the occurrence of sexual violence in violent conflict. It contains explicit mentions of different forms of sexual assault. Reader discretion is advised.
Background of the Conflict
The Mexican War on Drugs is an ongoing asymmetric armed conflict waged between the Mexican government and various drug trafficking syndicates (Ramsey, 2011). In 1989, violence escalated after the leader and co-founder of the first major Mexican drug cartel, namely the Guadalajara Cartel – an alliance of existing cartels, was arrested. This resulted in the fragmentation of the alliance and high-ranking members setting up their own cartels. The ensuing fight concerned control over territory and trafficking routes. After two other cartels – the Colombian Cali and Medellin cartels collapsed in the 1990s, the influence of the Mexican drug trafficking organizations increased.
The Mexican military intervened in 2006, supporting the government’s aim of reducing drug-related violence, dismantling the drug cartels, and preventing drug trafficking (Dilanian, 2023). By 2007, Mexican drug cartels controlled 90% of the cocaine that entered the United States, leading to more fighting for control over the trafficking routes into the US (Carl, 2009). The US government got involved in 2008, by providing Mexico with money and technical advice to strengthen its justice system. By the end of President Felipe Calderon’s administration in 2012, the death toll as a result of this drug war was around 60,000 at least. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Calderon’s successor, declared the war over – although many have criticised his claim given the high rates of homicide. The drug war has been described as the Mexican Theatre of the Global War on Drugs, led by the US federal government.
Prevalence of Sexual Violence
Sexual and gender-based violence has been prevalent over the entire duration of the Mexican drug war (Grillo, 2008; Freeman, 2002). Reports show that women and girls - both citizens and foreigners - have been raped, tortured, and murdered in the course of the conflict. Sex trafficking has also been rampant, where members of criminal organizations have been known to abduct women and girls to serve as their personal sex slaves (Grillo, 2008; Freeman, 2002). Migrants from Latin America to the United States have been targeted with sexual violence, as well. Human Rights Watch also reported that rape continues as one among several forms of human rights violation since the inception of the drug war. There are documented links between the drug cartels and human trafficking for forced labour, sexual slavery, and rape. One prevalent system made young women sex slaves before shifting them into drug factories as labour (Saner, 2012; O’Connor, 2012).
Basis of the Use of Sexual Violence
Sexual violence and rape have been carried out systematically in the Mexican drug war, especially as a form of sexual slavery. It has also been used as a form of torture, inhumane, and degrading treatment to target those involved or engaged with rival cartels. The use of sexual violence and rape is also tied to seeking control over territory, and to intimidate and humiliate women and girls into compliance or to offer up information on rival cartels. Aside from this, the prevailing culture of impunity has enabled the prevalence of opportunistic conflict-related sexual violence.
References
Carl, T. (2009). "Progress in Mexico drug war is drenched in blood." https:// www.newssafety.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12194:progress-in-mexico-drug-war-is-drenched-in-blood&catid=345:mexico-security&Itemid=100298
Dilanian, K. (2023). "Drug war cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico is at its lowest point in decades. What went wrong?" https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/no-cooperation-us-mexico-drug-war-rcna75093
Freeman, L. (2002). Troubling Patterns: The Mexican Military and the War on Drugs (Washington, D.C.: Latin America Working Group.
Grillo, Ioan (2008). "Mexico's Narco-Insurgency." http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1707070,00.html
Human Rights Watch (2001). Military Injustice: Mexico's Failure to Punish Army Abuses. https://www.hrw.org/report/2001/12/05/military-injustice/mexicos-failure-punish-army-abuses
O'Connor, A.-M. (2011). "Mexican cartels move into human trafficking." https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/americas/mexican-cartels-move-into-human-trafficking/2011/07/22/gIQArmPVcI_story.html
Ramsey, G. (2011). "US Special Forces Trained Mexican Troops in Colorado." http://www.insightcrime.org/news-briefs/us-special-forces-trained-mexican-troops-in-colorado
Saner, E. (2012). "Mexican journalist Lydia Cacho: 'I don't scare easily.'" https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/sep/01/lydia-cacho-mexican-journalist-interview?newsfeed=true
