Context:

Valeria Márquez, a 23-year-old TikTok influencer, was shot and killed while livestreaming in a beauty salon in Jalisco, Mexico, highlighting the rise in femicide and violence against women in the country. Her assailants, two men on a motorbike, did not know her personally, but targeted her specifically, leading investigators to consider the crime as a potential femicide. Despite existing laws to combat gender-based violence, Mexico continues to grapple with one of the highest rates of femicide globally, driven by a persistent 'machismo' culture and systemic failures in addressing such crimes. The incident mirrors another recent attack on mayoral candidate Yesenia Lara Gutiérrez, further evidencing the pervasive danger women face. The broader societal issue is compounded by victim-blaming tendencies and a lack of accountability, as highlighted by experts, perpetuating a climate where women can be killed with impunity.

Dive Deeper:

• Valeria Márquez was shot in a beauty salon in Zapopan, Jalisco, while livestreaming on TikTok to her 113,000 followers, by a masked man who confirmed her identity before executing the attack and fleeing with an accomplice on a motorbike.

• The prosecutor's office, lacking immediate suspects, is exploring surveillance footage and Márquez's social media for clues, suspecting the attack to be a case of femicide, a prevalent form of gender-based violence in Mexico.

• Days earlier, a similar attack was captured on a livestream involving Yesenia Lara Gutiérrez, a mayoral candidate in Veracruz, highlighting the dangerous environment for women in public and political arenas.

• Despite legislative efforts, Mexico remains plagued by high femicide rates, fueled by a culture of 'machismo' and sexism, with institutions often failing to adequately address or investigate these crimes, according to experts.

• A 2023 study revealed a decade-long rise in femicide, with 10 to 11 women murdered daily, and only 5 percent of cases resulting in convictions, illustrating the systemic challenges in securing justice for victims.

• Social media users expressed shock and condolences on Márquez's account posthumously, while some questioned the authenticity of the footage, reflecting the public's struggle to process such vivid acts of violence.

• The persistence of feminicidal violence in Mexico underscores a broader societal issue where wealth, political status, or public visibility offer no protection against gender-based violence, as experts assert that these attacks are intended to assert male dominance and impunity.