ASOCIACIÓN POR NOSOTRAS IXMUKANÉ
In the village of Xeabaj, San Andrés Sajcabajá, Quiché, the story of Catarina and her daughter Lucía, who live in extreme poverty, exposes the cracks in a judicial system that marginalises indigenous women. Lucía, a young Maya K’ich’e woman with visual and speech impairments, was the victim of sexual violence and became pregnant – just as her sister had years earlier – at the hands of the same perpetrator. Although the perpetrator was reported on both occasions, impunity prevailed in the first case and, in Lucía’s case, justice seems out of reach. The family faces various forms of violence, including racist, patriarchal, ableist and sexist violence, amongst others, which create barriers to their access to justice. For them, reporting the crime is a path fraught with obstacles, where justice becomes a utopia that crumbles over time.
Ixmukane is an organisation of Indigenous women
that
supports women who are victims of violence.
To file the complaint with my daughter,
we spent what I earned in 15 days of work in one single day.
My mum says that rather than pursuing the complaint,
she’ll prioritise buying food for us.
If the justice system worked,
we would prevent the person who harmed my daughter from continuing to ruin the lives of other girls.
Three generations share the same space
and a story that still awaits justice.
Beyond the justice system,
I am hopeful that, with my mother’s support, my daughter will have a better future.
Despite the difficulties,
the family carries on without giving up hope of seeking justice.
I feel that justice is crumbling and becoming out of reach
for us as indigenous people.