translated from Spanish: Violent deaths of women should be investigated with a gender perspective: SCJN

The First Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) established that investigations into the violent death of a woman should consider the presence of possible reasons or reasons of gender, which could have caused or explained the death of the victim.
In a statement, the SCJN stated that in addition to carrying out the steps that are done in any case of violent death, when the victim is a woman of his own motion “the investigating authorities must identify the possible presence of reasons or reasons of gender that cause such death”. 
In this regard, he stressed that the effectiveness of the investigation of such crimes depends directly and to a large extent on the technical evidence carried out by the experts.
He therefore stressed that “specific evidence must be preserved to determine whether there was sexual violence and relevant expertise should be made to determine whether the victim was immersed in a context of violence.”
This stems from the case of the death of a woman who initially posed as a suicide by asphyxiation, when she was in fact killed by her husband, who, being a policeman, was involved in the collection of evidence, in the chain of custody and protection of evidence from the crime scene.
“The investigation of the facts did not take into the pattern of violence against the woman, the crime scene and chain of custody were not protected, no evidence was collected from the crime scene and it was tainted, the expertise was inaccurate and even omitted, not done with a gender perspective and the victim’s husband was not charged,” the SCJN ruled.
The truth about femicide was learned after the victim’s mother filed several shelters, and the High Court established that investigations into deaths of women should be conducted on a gender perspective. The investigation was reopened and the culprit was arrested and prosecuted.
In these cases, various experts should be carried out, in order to determine whether the body exhibits signs of defense and struggle and signs of chronic abuse prior to the death of the victim, such as marks on the hands forearms and nails; as well as breast bites or bruises inside the thighs.
The SCJN also stated that “possible gender-discriminatory connotations should be investigated, ex officio, in an act of violence perpetrated against a woman when that act is framed in a context of violence against women occurring in a particular region.”
According to figures of the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System (SESNSP), from January to September 2019 2,833 women were killed. 
However, according to data from the National Citizen Observatory of Femicide (OCNF), only 726 (25.6%) are investigated as femicides, while the other 2,107 murders as intentional homicides.
What we do in Animal Político requires professional journalists, teamwork, dialogue with readers and something very important: independence. You can help us keep going. Be part of the team.
Subscribe to Animal Politician, receive benefits and support free journalism.#YoSoyAnimal

Original source in Spanish