Men accused of murdering their partners will automatically lose parental rights over their children in the Mexican state of Puebla (center), according to a law approved Thursday by the local Congress.
This is the first district in Mexico to adopt a similar rule amid the wave of murders of women that is hitting the country, with a daily average of 10 cases, according to federal government figures.
The reforms to the civil and criminal codes, approved unanimously this Thursday, establish that the man accused of killing his partner will lose "parental authority, guardianship, guardianship and custody, visitation and coexistence regime" from the moment a judge determines that there are elements to prosecute him.
"We are the first entity that specifically legislates on the suspension of parental authority for femicide or attempted femicide"Deputy Mónica Silva, from the leftist Labor Party and one of the promoters of the initiative, told AFP.
These modifications are known as "Monsoon Law" in honor of the activist Cecilia Monzón, murdered in May 2022 allegedly on the orders of her ex-partner, Javier Zavala, a former deputy from whom she had sued for alimony for their son.
After the death of the mother, the minor was left in the custody of the Monzón family, but Zavala retained parental authority, arrested in June 2022 and currently on trial accused of femicide.
The Legislature of Puebla also unanimously approved this Thursday the so-called "acid law"which punishes those who attack women with chemical substances from 26 to 40 years in prison.
Puebla thus becomes the first state to reform its laws, after in 2022 the federal Congress classified this type of aggression as an autonomous crime. Before they were only considered "injuries"so the attackers were free.
According to figures from the Ministry of the Interior, in 2022 there were 3,754 murders of women, of which 947 were classified as femicides.
The Carmen Sánchez Foundation, which provides support to victims of acid attacks, has documented more than 30 attacks with chemical substances against women since 2001 in Mexico.
