Mars: Okay, so, I saw this headline the other day that just completely blew my mind. This beauty influencer, right? She was doing a TikTok livestream, just chilling in her salon in Mexico, and she gets killed. Like, on camera! How does that even happen?
Mia: It's absolutely horrific. Her name was Valeria Márquez. Twenty-three years old, huge following on Instagram. She was just doing her thing – styling clients, chatting with her fans – and then, bam, gunshots.
Mars: Seriously? Was it like a robbery gone wrong or something?
Mia: The authorities are treating it as a suspected femicide. You know, a gender-based killing. In Mexico, “femicide” has a very specific legal meaning. It’s when a woman is murdered *because* she's a woman. They're trying to figure out who did it and why.
Mars: Femicide… I've heard the word, but can you break it down for me? Like, how big of a problem are we talking about here?
Mia: It's massive. In 2020, around 25% of all homicides of women in Mexico were officially investigated as femicides. Last year, there were about 847 reported cases nationwide. And just in the first few months of this year, there were already over 160. That's like, almost two femicides a day.
Mars: Wow. So, Valeria's not an isolated case at all?
Mia: Not even close. Just days before she was killed, a mayoral candidate in Veracruz was shot dead on her own livestream, along with three other people. It's like some kind of really messed up horror movie franchise.
Mars: That's sickening. And these livestreams are supposed to make you feel closer to the person, right? But instead, they become like, a crime scene unfolding in real time.
Mia: Exactly. Livestreams used to be this fun, spontaneous thing, like hanging out in someone’s living room. Now, some creators are actually scared to go live. Can you imagine posting your thoughts with a filter, and then the next second, you're fighting for your life?
Mars: Do we even know how many women are killed in Mexico in general? I think I heard a number like four thousand?
Mia: Yeah, around 4,000 women were killed in 2022. That's about 12% of all homicides that year. And even when investigations are opened, the conviction rate is only around 67%. So, a third of these crimes go unpunished.
Mars: Holy smokes. So, not only are women at risk, but a lot of the time the system just... fails them?
Mia: Pretty much. Juanita Goebertus, the Americas Director at Human Rights Watch, said it best: authorities just don't have the resources or the training to properly investigate these crimes, protect witnesses, or support the families. It's like trying to fix a burst pipe with duct tape.
Mars: Duct tape… Ouch. So, what needs to happen to fix this?
Mia: You'd need specialized femicide units, better witness protection, faster forensic work... Basically, building a whole dedicated system instead of trying to patch things up. And training for police and prosecutors to recognize gender violence, not just treat it like any other street crime.
Mars: And public awareness, too, I guess? People have to stop just shrugging this off as “just another headline.”
Mia: Exactly. When people tune in for beauty tips, they shouldn't end up watching someone get murdered. It's a brutal wake-up call that violence against women is seeping into even the most normal parts of life.
Mars: Man, that really hits hard. From glamming up on TikTok to becoming a crime scene… it's just heartbreaking. Thanks for explaining all this. Hopefully, this tragedy will spark some real change.
