In fictive works about the border femicides the police work in two countries (the United States and
Mexico) is described differently. In Stella Pope Duarte's book If I Die in Juárez and in Meredith
Stiehm's and Elwood Reid's Pilot of the series “The Bridge-America” (2013/14 FX/Netflix) the national
police departments of the USA and Mexico are confronted with a femicide¹
. In her book Duarte
integrates a great knowledge of the real situation regarding the femicides in Juárez, after she had
interviewed some of the victim's families. The protagonists of the book are 14-year-old Evita, a poor girl
who was forced to prostitution and to live on the streets, her 19-year-old beautiful cousin Petra who
becomes a maquiladora worker and Mayela, a young Tarahumara Indian girl who is gifted with an
outstanding talent in art. The three girls meet under fateful circumstances to investigate the femicides
occurring in Juárez: they reveal the intrigue of a group of criminals until one of them is tortured and
killed in an inevitably sadistic way too. The Pilot episode of “The Bridge-America” is about the
investigation of a corpse: On the bridge connecting El Paso with Ciudad Juárez, a bisected, mutilated
body is found. The two detectives, Mexican Marco Ruiz and American Sonya Cross decide to cooperate
to solve the case. After further investigation Cross discovers that the two body parts belong to different
persons: Judge Gates and Christina Fuentes, a young Mexican girl and maquiladora worker. Christina
Fuentes is one of the world-famous femicides of Juárez and therefore one of uncountable inexplicable
corpses. Cross suspects a serial killer behind all the cases, but learns that the Mexican police refuses to
investigate further and benefits from bribery instead. The US-American and the Mexican cooperation on
the Juárez femicides collapses because of the different development of the police departments, the
corruption of the Mexican police and the increasing number of victims.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Department Differentiation
3. Corruption of the Mexican Police
4. Increasing Number of Victims
5. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
This work examines the representation and reality of femicides in the border region between the United States and Mexico, specifically analyzing how the phenomenon is depicted in fiction compared to real-world socio-political conditions, with a focus on police efficacy and corruption.
- Comparison of police procedures in the USA and Mexico regarding femicide cases.
- The role of corruption and bribery within the Mexican law enforcement system.
- Impact of poverty and social circumstances on the vulnerability of women.
- Analysis of institutional failures in investigating and preventing gender-based violence.
- The influence of media and literary narratives on the public perception of the border crisis.
Excerpt from the Book
Corruption of the Mexican Police
Not only in present reality but also in the series and the book one can sense a corruption and misplaced behavior of the Mexican police, as they do not work seriously on the femicides and treat women generally less valuable. In the pilot of “The Bridge-America” detective Marco Ruiz indicates that the Mexican policemen are powerless regarding the uncountable femicide cases: they receive bribery to keep their eyes closed and then have to choose between obeying or being in serious trouble. (They are threatened.) In Duarte's book a passer-by claims that “people are being silenced with money, and la policia are the worst. They'd sell out their own mothers for a few pesos. And nobody talks, or it's certain they'll be killed.” (23) Also in If I Die in Juárez young Evita is caught by the police after being dismissed from home. The policemen here only pretend to be concerned about women and their safety. Later the girl is tortured, raped and beaten by one of the policemen and has to remain silent, even though she is very traumatized: [..] “The policeman unzipped his pants and exposed himself to her. Then he took her face and forced it over his crotch. Evita, struggling and crying, felt sticky wet fluid all over her face. She had never seen a man's private parts before. [...]”(Duarte 24)
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: This chapter introduces the topic of femicides in the US-Mexican border region through the lens of Stella Pope Duarte's book and the series "The Bridge-America," highlighting the different approaches of the respective national police departments.
Department Differentiation: This section contrasts the professional police environment in the United States with the challenges faced in Mexico, noting that fictional representations often reflect real-world disparities in institutional priorities and awareness.
Corruption of the Mexican Police: This chapter explores the systemic corruption and bribery within Mexican law enforcement, documenting how police inaction and intimidation contribute to the victimization of women.
Increasing Number of Victims: This section addresses the rising statistics of violence against women in the border region, identifying factors such as sexualization, objectification, and the failures of the justice system as catalysts for the ongoing crisis.
Conclusion: The final chapter summarizes the findings, emphasizing the need for sensitization, institutional reform, and improved cross-border cooperation to address the femicide crisis effectively.
Keywords
Femicide, Juárez, Border region, Police corruption, Human rights, Gender-based violence, The Bridge-America, If I Die in Juárez, Maquiladoras, Domestic violence, Systematic murder, Law enforcement, Social inequality, Investigation failure, Victim protection
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this work?
The work investigates the phenomenon of femicides along the US-Mexican border, comparing how these crimes are handled by police in both nations as depicted in specific fictional works versus historical and contemporary reality.
What are the central themes discussed?
The central themes include the systemic corruption of the Mexican police, the disparity in investigative resources between the US and Mexico, and the socio-economic drivers behind the rising number of female victims.
What is the core research objective?
The objective is to analyze how systemic failures, corruption, and social objectification contribute to the persistent and unsolved femicide crisis, and what structural changes are required to mitigate it.
Which methodology is employed in this research?
The research utilizes a comparative literary and media analysis approach, contrasting fictional narratives in literature and television with existing statistical data and reports regarding real-world femicide cases.
What is addressed in the main body of the text?
The main body examines the structural differences in police departments, the prevalence of bribery and intimidation as obstacles to justice, and the socio-cultural factors that lead to the objectification of women in the border region.
Which keywords best describe this study?
Key terms include Femicide, Border region, Police corruption, Human rights, Gender-based violence, Maquiladoras, and Institutional reform.
How does the author characterize the role of the police in "If I Die in Juárez"?
The author describes the police as highly corrupt and complicit, often failing to protect women or actively participating in the abuse and intimidation of victims instead of investigating crimes.
What specific consequence of the "femicide mafia" is mentioned?
The text suggests that the "femicide mafia" thrives due to the failure of the justice system, where criminals operate with impunity, are rarely punished, and appear to have accomplices within the authorities.
- Quote paper
- Rashida Thielhorn (Author), 2017, Stella Pope Duarte: "If I die in Juarez". The collapsed cooperation of two national Police Departments, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/457691
