Who We Serve

Women

The official data from Baja California Sur reveals that the social situation of women in this state is unfortunately lower than one would expect according to national and international standards. The existence of violence, institutional violence, disenfranchisement and poverty is evident within this demographic. Some examples are:

• Women in BCS have an average of only 9 years of education.
• One out of five women are heads of households,
• 19% of babies are born to women younger than 18 years of age[1],
• 46% of childbirths are resolved with cesarean sections[2],
• 35% of women older than 15 has had at least one incident of violence during her last couple relationship;
• The increase in femicides from 2012 to 2013 was 300 percent

Youth and Adolescents

Although there is the perception that adolescents and young people are healthy, most poor adolescents in Mexico live in non-healthy environments and practice unsafe behaviors that ultimately put their lives at greater risk.

Sadly, in Baja California Sur, sex education is almost nonexistent and there are many obstacles for youth to access youth friendly health services. This is especially true for poor adolescents and youth. Without easy access to preventative care, these young people put themselves at serious risk for reproducing a life of vulnerability and poverty. In Baja California Sur, this is evidenced by rates of teen pregnancy, HIV transmission, and suicide that are higher than the national average.

Migrants

Centro Mujeres is one of the few resources for migrants in the region. Our efforts over the past 20 years to advance their health and human rights situation, is based on a philosophy of creating leadership within the community.

Roughly 25,000 agricultural workers arrive in Baja Sur every year primarily from the states of Chiapas, Veracruz, Oaxaca and Guerrero. The majority of the workers arrive with their families – with a net result of an additional 2,000 children residing in the state. These workers are brought to Baja Sur by large mega ranches and arrive for seasonal employment, with the hope to improve their quality of life. Instead they often find themselves living in squalid conditions, working long hours for less than minimum wage. Often their basic human rights are not respected, and they face enormous obstacles that prevent them from exercising their rights.

[1] INEGI. Estadísticas a propósito del Día de la Madre. 2012. www.inegi.gob.mx

[2] INEGI. Estadísticas a propósito del Día Internacional de la Mujer. 2011. www.inegi.gob.mx