A Mexican woman has been found guilty of homicide and sentenced to six and a half years in prison for killing the man that raped her back in May 2021. According to reports, Roxana Ruiz’s case has caused nationwide controversy in Mexico, with many having protested the court’s decision to throw her behind bars given that she was acting in self-defense against the man who sexually abused her in her own home.
But despite her testimony, the state of Mexico didn’t budge on the possibility of letting her off without any time in prison. They said that while they acknowledged her being a victim of being raped, she could have given him “a blow on the head” which apparently would have been enough to defend herself and distract her rapist to run away. What’s even more tragic is that the man was initially hanging out with Ruiz and a friend, per CBS News.
She was familiar with him because he had been around the neighborhood every so often, and after he insisted on walking her back to her home, he requested if it was okay for him to stay the night since he lived further away and it was late. Ruiz agreed to have him sleep on a spare mattress. But the court was told that when she went to sleep that night, she found the man on top of her and raping her, which is when she first hit him in the face, resulting in a nosebleed. He threatened to kill her, so she quickly reacted by strangling him to death.
“I feel sad, disappointed in justice. If I had not defended myself, I would be dead,” Ruiz said outside the court following her sentencing.
A Mexican organization that puts on campaigns against male violence, was just as stunned by the verdict, saying it was unfair and unlawful to be placing a victim in prison for doing nothing other but defending herself.
“No woman should be jailed for defending lives that the state does not protect,” they wrote.
“Roxana Ruiz’s life, as well as that of hundreds of poor women who are imprisoned today, will not improve by denying her the right to freedom; on the contrary, it perpetuates the existence of structural and cultural violence.”
And if that wasn’t enough, Ruiz has also been ordered to pay close to $17,000 in damages and compensation to the man’s family, though she plans to appeal both the sentencing and charge.
Mexico has been facing a dire situation when it comes to violence against women. According to a study conducted by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), more than 70% of women and girls over the age of 15 have experienced some form of violence. This number is alarming and indicates the severity of the issue.
The situation is not limited to physical violence; women in Mexico face emotional, psychological, and sexual abuse as well. In fact, in a national survey conducted by INEGI, one-third of women reported experiencing physical violence from their intimate partners.
The issue of femicide, which is the killing of women because of their gender, is also a significant problem in Mexico. The country saw over 1,000 femicides last year, second only to Brazil in Latin America.
Women in Mexico State, which borders Mexico City on three sides, are being killed at alarming rates because of their gender. From late October to early November, 131 women were killed in the country’s capital alone. These incidents are a grim reminder of the severity of the problem.
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