Gang Members Arrested for Rape and Murder of Ciudad Juarez Women

Ten gang members confessed to raping and beating fifty or more young women in Ciudad Juarez, a Mexican city near the U.S. border. So far, the suspects have denied murdering the women and police say they cannot prove otherwise.

Women's groups report that 118 women have been brutally raped, murdered and left to decay in a nearby desert in the last 5 years. Many of the women's bodies were intentionally disfigured beyond recognition.

Special prosecutor Maria Esfarsa told CNN that she believes the murders may express unemployed men's anger at women for moving into the workforce, albeit at poverty wages. Women's rights activist Judith Gallarza said that the women of Ciudad Juarez are perceived as "expendable" and "disposable."

Media Resources: CNN - May 1998

© Feminist Majority Foundation, publisher of Ms. magazine

If you liked this story, consider making a tax-deductible donation to support Ms. magazine.