From March 16 to December 31, 2020, the Council to Prevent and Eliminate Discrimination of Mexico City (Copred) received 1,215 complaints about acts of discrimination in the capital, 158 petitions related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Announced by the council during the Report of Cases of Citizen Attention and Cases of Discrimination by Covid-19 in 2020, headed by Copred, Geraldina González de la Vega.
Of the 1 215 complaints filed last year for acts of discrimination in the capital, 100 are claim files, 891 guidelines, 170 steps to address the problem, and 60 referrals to other instances were opened; also, the Copred issued 42 advisory opinions. Of these files, 10 were for the issue of discrimination related to covid-19.
INSULTS, MOCKERY, THREATS
The Deputy Director of Legal Support, Paola Ortiz Chávez, explained the main reasons for events reported during the health emergency were the following: the denial or obstruction of a private service; insults, teasing, threats, mistreatment or exclusion; doubts or disagreement with health policies; obligation to work while at risk, workplace harassment and dismissal.
To a lesser extent, there were complaints of harassment by neighbors, condominiums, or in cohabitation; non-observance of the confinement; sanitary or safe distance measures; and the obligation to work in person.
"Facing the health emergency the country is experiencing, we immediately dealt with these complaints through the integration of: 10 complaint or claim files, 67 guidelines, 31 prevention, collaboration and / or awareness-raising offices, 30 steps with responsible authorities, 29 referrals to competent authorities, and in 8 cases more information was requested from the petitioners to provide advice, "explained Ortiz Chávez.
Of the total number of cases, 89 complaints, equivalent to 56 percent, were presented by women, 40 by men, equal to 25 percent, while 29, 18 percent, were presented collectively. They were ex officio interventions or anonymous complaints.
WOMEN SUBMIT MORE COMPLAINTS
The Coordinator of Attention and Education, Alfonso García Castillo, reported that in 2020 the council''s lawyers served a total of 1,215 people for acts of discrimination.
He highlighted that of the total complaints, 74 percent were filed by women (700), 24 percent by men (483), and 2 percent by official or collective interventions (51).
In 100 cases, pertinent elements were found to initiate a complaint or claim file.
Leading causes of discrimination correspond to 20 percent health condition, something that stood out for the first time in several years, 15 percent to dismissal for pregnancy, 12 percent to gender, 8 percent to disability , 7 percent to the way of acting and gender identity (both in the same percentage) and 6 percent to sexual orientation or preference.
"In addition to these 100 files, from the Copred we made 891 orientations, 170 steps to address the problem and 60 referrals to other instances. The council, being a consultative body, issued 42 advisory opinions to the Attorney General's Office of Mexico City in relation to various investigation files for the alleged crime of discrimination, "he said.
Traducción: Valentina K. Yanes