The complainant cannot believe how torturous it is for victims to prove the abuse she was subjected to
Daniela Baez during the March 14th demonstration against sexual abuse at the Chapala Regional High School. Credit: Sofía Medeles.
Jazmín Stengel (Chapala).- Two months after Daniela Baez, a former student of the Chapala Regional High School of the University of Guadalajara (UdeG), filed a complaint for sexual abuse against David N, a professor at the same high school, there has been little progress. Daniela Baez cannot believe how torturous it is for victims to have to prove the abuse they suffered. She’s had to undergo repeated tests in order for the investigations to continue.
In spite of filing the complaint with the State Prosecutor’s Office, the investigation was transferred to the Chapala Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP), an institution that has summoned Baez countless times to request different physical and psychological studies on the matter, some without any logical sense for the victim. She’s been subjected to a «quite grotesque» gynecological study, despite the fact that the abuse happened more than seven years ago, in 2015 when Baez was 15 years old, and the professor was close to fifty. Additionally, in Mexico, the victim must present all the necessary evidence to start a legal process.
In her case, Baez had to thoroughly prove what happened. She’s identified the different houses he used, the times they went, and details of what happened in each location. Having to keep repeating the facts of her case is uncomfortable and tedious for her. She says that sexual harassment abuses in schools are well known, however, few students dare to raise their voices either due to social pressure or the tediousness of legal proceedings, as she’s experienced first-hand. Many of the victims refuse to complain about how difficult the process is, and how much strength a victim must have to withstand the gossip and rumor that people spread freely.
The UdeG issued a communiqué on March 15th announcing the suspension of the professor, David N, until the official investigations conclude. Once the judge’s sentence is announced, the university will also issue its own.
After her experience, the victim began to see a psychologist, who was the first to detect the problem. After the 8M (The International Women’s Strike or International Feminist Strike 8-M ) ,march this year, she got the strength to raise her voice within her family, and then in the community, noting how important it is for the victim to have a strong circle of trust and support to have the courage to accuse their aggressor.
«It’s not about how much you pay or how far you go,» Baez said about her case , as her only goal is for people to recognize that these actions are wrong, and to stop justifying, excusing, or ignoring them.
The International Feminist Strike 8-M was a movement that took place on March 8, 2018, International Women’s Day organized by feminist movements in support of women’s rights across the world and to determine the level of exploitation of women in the workplace, social reproduction and reproductive labor, nver damaging reputations in the process.
Translated by Amy Esperanto
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