Fighting Street Harassment in Mexico City With Punk Rock, Performance Art, and Confetti

Mexico City is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a woman. A 2010 United Nations report ranked Mexico number one globally in sexual violence against women, estimating that 44 percent of Mexican women have been subjected to some form of sexual violence in their lifetime, from groping to rape. In the country’s capital city, harassment and gender-based violence are rampant problems on public transit and in other public spaces. The problem is so extreme that the city has rolled out women-only subway cars and buses in an attempt to curb the violence.

This is all the more disturbing when you consider that Mexico City is a booming metropolis with one of the most extensively used public transit systems in the world. Crowds gather in streets, parks, and other public places as a matter of course—but harassment and violence can seriously impede women’s ability to safely traverse these spaces, especially at night.