Quintana Roo, known to most Americans as the Mexican state that contains Cancun's beautiful beaches, has reported a surge in femicides. Seven women have been brutally murdered in the past three weeks, and the yearly total now lies at 18, reported The Guardian.
State officials have minimized the problem of gender-based violence for fear that large-scale investigations would stave off tourism, said Celina Izquierdo Sánchez, of the Quintana Roo Observatory of Social and Gender Violence. Because of this, said Sánchez, a "time bomb" of violence against women had exploded.
"Nothing was done due to the false belief that recognising and tackling gender violence would affect tourism. Justice will not reduce tourism," she said, reports The Guardian. Quintana Roo has the highest level of reported sexual violence in Mexico. The state does not have a DNA lab and has only one active women's refuge centre.
