Reports

Ciudad Juárez, Mexico is considered to be one of the most dangerous cities in the world. Drugs, cartels,
violence, and corruption are the main problems of this city in the Mexican state of Chihuahua (“Ciudad
Juarez Population 2021 (Demographics, Maps, Graphs)”, 2021). The drug trafficking business and
subsequent criminality cause daily hindrances to many Mexicans living in this city. However, the main
victims of crimes such as homicide, enforced disappearances and other serious offences that constitute
gender as a motive are, in fact, women. In 2009, an incident that took place in Ciudad Juárez became a
symbolic case through which the Inter-American Court of Human Rights1

(hereafter referred to as IACtHR)

respondedtoMexico’sgender-based violence issue (IACtHR,2021).
The incident in question is known as the Cotton Field Case, which will be used as a reference throughout
this report in order to explain the severity of the issue at hand, as well as to demonstrate how the Mexican
state addresses and reacts to the problem of gender-based violence. After summarizing the relevant
facts of the aforementioned case, this report will provide a closer look into the Inter-American Human
Rights System while also indicating the international obligations States owe towards gender-based
violence at the international level. Lastly, this report will provide an insight into the criminalization of
femicide and analyze gender-based violence concerning the Cotton Field Case (González et al. “Cotton
Field” vMexico,2009).