- Accused killer of US insurance CEO pleads not guilty to 'terrorist' murder
- Global stock markets mostly higher
- Not for sale. Greenland shrugs off Trump's new push
- Acid complicates search after deadly Brazil bridge collapse
- Norwegian Haugan dazzles in men's World Cup slalom win
- Arsenal's Saka out for 'many weeks' with hamstring injury
- Mali singer Traore child custody case postponed
- France mourns Mayotte victims amid uncertainy over government
- UK economy stagnant in third quarter in fresh setback
- African players in Europe: Salah leads Golden Boot race after brace
- German far-right AfD to march in city hit by Christmas market attack
- Ireland centre Henshaw signs IRFU contract extension
- Bangladesh launches $5bn graft probe into Hasina's family
- US probes China chip industry on 'anticompetitive' concerns
- Biden commutes sentences for 37 of 40 federal death row inmates
- Clock ticks down on France government nomination
- Mozambique on edge as judges rule on disputed election
- Mobile cinema brings Tunisians big screen experience
- Honda and Nissan to launch merger talks
- Police arrest suspect who set woman on fire in New York subway
- China vows 'cooperation' over ship linked to severed Baltic Sea cables
- Australian tennis star Purcell provisionally suspended for doping
- Luxury Western goods line Russian stores, three years into sanctions
- Wallace and Gromit return with comic warning about AI dystopia
- Philippine military says will acquire US Typhon missile system
- Afghan bread, the humble centrepiece of every meal
- Honda and Nissan expected to begin merger talks
- 'Draconian' Vietnam internet law heightens free speech fears
- Israeli women mobilise against ultra-Orthodox military exemptions
- Asian markets track Wall St rally as US inflation eases rate worries
- Tens of thousands protest in Serbian capital over fatal train station accident
- Trump vows to 'stop transgender lunacy' as a top priority
- 'Who's next?': Misinformation and online threats after US CEO slaying
- Only 12 trucks delivered food, water in North Gaza Governorate since October: Oxfam
- Beyond Work Unveils Next-Generation Memory-Augmented AI Agent (MATRIX) for Enterprise Document Intelligence
- Langers edge Tiger and son Charlie in PNC Championship playoff
- Explosive batsman Jacobs gets New Zealand call-up for Sri Lanka series
- Holders PSG edge through on penalties in French Cup
- Daniels throw five TDs as Commanders down Eagles
- Atalanta fight back to take top spot in Serie A, Roma hit five
- Mancini admits regrets over leaving Italy for Saudi Arabia
- Run machine Ayub shines as Pakistan sweep South Africa
- Slovak PM Fico on surprise visit to Kremlin
- 'Incredible' Liverpool must stay focused: Slot
- Maresca 'absolutely happy' as title-chasing Chelsea drop points in Everton draw
- Salah happy wherever career ends after inspiring Liverpool rout
- Three and easy as Dortmund move into Bundesliga top six
- Liverpool hit Spurs for six, Man Utd embarrassed by Bournemouth
- Netanyahu vows to act with 'force, determination' against Yemen's Huthis
- Ali hat-trick helps champions Ahly crush Belouizdad
RBGPF | 0% | 60.5 | $ | |
AZN | 0.49% | 65.675 | $ | |
GSK | 0.09% | 33.631 | $ | |
CMSC | 0.53% | 23.987 | $ | |
SCS | -2.09% | 11.5 | $ | |
NGG | 0.12% | 58.57 | $ | |
BTI | -0.78% | 35.96 | $ | |
RIO | -0.07% | 58.6 | $ | |
BP | -0.79% | 28.375 | $ | |
RYCEF | -0.14% | 7.27 | $ | |
VOD | -1.02% | 8.305 | $ | |
RELX | -0.72% | 45.145 | $ | |
BCE | -2.09% | 22.685 | $ | |
BCC | -0.63% | 121.98 | $ | |
JRI | 0.08% | 12.07 | $ | |
CMSD | -0.13% | 23.53 | $ |
Mexico's women police squad on protest frontline
At a police station in Mexico City, women train with riot gear in preparation for an International Women's Day march in one of the countries hardest hit by gender-based violence.
The squad of 500 officers is tasked with ensuring the demonstrations that draw thousands of women do not block roads or damage public property.
Although their work usually involves tense confrontations with fellow women, they feel united with the feminist cause because they too suffer violence and abuse by men.
But they question some of the protesters' methods.
The demonstrators "hit me because they see the uniform and because of history. You see a police uniform and (think of) repression, corruption, impunity," said Itzania Otero, 35, who commands the unit preparing to police Tuesday's march.
She favors empathy to show the protesters "that this uniform is not what they think," and that her officers only seek to contain -- not repress -- them.
"We policewomen have also suffered a thousand things," she said.
In recent years, protests against gender-based violence have brought together thousands of women in the capital and other Mexican cities.
Mexico registered 1,006 femicides last year, marking an increase from 978 in 2020, according to government figures.
Recent victims include Michelle Perez Tadeo, a 29-year-old television host and model whose body was found last month in a wooded area on the outskirts of the capital.
Other gender-based crimes such as harassment, sexual abuse and domestic violence have increased in recent years, resulting in a rising number of calls to emergency lines.
- 'Staying calm' -
During the training session, instructor Tania Arrazola teaches the police how to put on their protective equipment, which includes a vest, gloves, helmet, shin guards and a shield.
She also shows them how to use the shield in cases of aggression and how not to be provoked.
But "staying calm while they attack and hit you, enduring the many times that they throw paint on your face and say many things to you, it's difficult," she admitted.
Even though the protests put them in direct confrontation, some policewomen emphasize the importance of the feminist struggle to them.
"It's a very complex issue because within our own corporation we suffer the same type of violence and also with our partners," said officer Sandra Gonzalez, 32.
The police's special gender unit is investigating hundreds of cases of alleged abuses committed against female police officers by colleagues and superiors.
At the same time, Gonzalez criticizes the use of violence by hardcore protesters, who sometimes hurl Molotov cocktails at the police.
She believes there are better ways to express discontent.
The police squad, created in September 2020, is also tasked with implementing protection measures for women victims of violence.
Although the squad says that its role is not to oppress, some protesters accuse them of doing just that, such as when they use fire extinguishers to put out the firebombs and disperse people.
"In the end they have an advantage over us. They have a weapon and are trained to react. We don't," said an activist who plans to participate in Tuesday's march.
"There's very little training in restraint. They act like a male oppressor," said the woman, who asked not to be named.
G.Machado--PC