MEXICALI.- Baja Californian Governor, Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmedo revealed the Violet Squad (Escuadrón Violeta), an institution that was founded as a strategy to combat family and gender violence in the state. The Violet Squad will be managed by the Secretariat of Citizen Security of Baja California (SSCBC) and will protect Baja Californian kids and women.

In her speech, the first female Governor of Baja California underscored that security is a priority for her administration and society at large, which is why important adaptations have been made to the model that is used in the state in order to achieve the authentic development that is necessary to live in peace.

On the other hand, she stated that she has had permanent dialogues with municipal presidents, as well as the heads of the foundational councils of San Felipe and San Quintin, so that they can be added to the strategies that the state will implement. This will also be done with close coordination with federal policies issued from the Presidency of Mexico.

To that she added the coordination agreements between Pacific Governors, an alliance that includes Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sonora, Sinaloa, and Nayarit whose aim is that the northeastern part of Mexico strengthens its internal communications in order to achieve peace.

Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda remembered that when she was President of Mexicali, she established the creation of Fuerza Rosa (Pink Force), a squad that was pioneer for the defense of women in the state’s capital which, now with Norma Alicia Bustamante Martínez as mayor, has continued to achieve important results.

It should be noted that Mexicali’s Pink Force has engaged in coordination with the Violet Squad, so that they can work hand in hand and combine their efforts to promote peace for Mexicali girls, boys, and women, as well as families who live there and require support from the authorities.

“I must be clear that as Governor, as a mother, wife, and daughter of a great woman I don’t want to see Baja California, or anywhere else in our dear Mexico, more attempts against the dignity and physical integrity of our women. Just a few days ago I reaffirmed my personal will and Baja California’s in favor of women and against sexist violence with their inherited patterns that have hurt us for generations”, she stated.

Governor Marina del Pilar gave certificates to the 15 agents that will be a part of the first generation of the Violet Squad, who will also take part in an awareness course about assisting victims of family violence and women who have been victims of gender violence.

In her speech, Bustamante Martínez recognized Marina del Pilar as the pioneer of this program by having created the Pink Force, which is why the advent of the Violet Squad represents a milestone for the defense of women in the state, with actions that have been proven effective in Mexicali.

Meanwhile, Violet Squad coordinator, Lorena Guerrero Rodríguez, stated that in her two decades of experience with family violence has made it perfectly clear that violence shouldn’t be normalized, which is why prepared police for this important task will be their main focus.

The head of SSCBC, General Gilberto Landeros Briseño, highlighted the Governor’s responsiveness. This is a program that will begin operations in Mexicali and San Quintin and will comprise of eight women and seven men who will establish the series of public policy guidelines in the fight against gender violence as a priority.

In this event, the following people were present: José Luis Dagnino, head of the Foundational Council of San Felipe; Jorge Alberto López Peralta, head of the Foundational Council of San Quintin; Catalino Zavala Márquez, Secretary of the Interior of Baja California; Ricardo Iván Carpio Sánchez, Baja California attorney general; Melba Adriana Olvera Rodríguez, Subsecretary of Human Rights; Mavis Olmeda García, President of the state’s DIF; Bertha Rojas, Director of Crime Prevention; Karla Pedrín Rembao, Director of the Woman’s Institute of Baja California; Magdalena Bautista, Director of the Center of Justice for Women, and Miriam Cano Núñez, Secretary of Gender Equality and Social Inclusion.

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