Hello, my name is Rebecca at the time of my attack, I was a 38 year old waitress from North Carolina who was on what should have been a dream vacation to sunny Mexico.  Instead, I was raped, beaten and left for dead by a Security Guard, who offered to walk me to my hotel, “for my safety”. 

             After my attack, I somehow managed to find my way back to the hotel and get help.  My niece, only 19 at the time, was able to persuade the hotel staff to contact the police and an ambulance and I was treated at a local hospital before being rushed back to the states for medical treatment.

             When I arrived home, I was told that I was suffering from a severe concussion, 5 broken facial bones, including both eye-sockets, both cheeks and my nose, over a dozen stitches and I had lost one tooth completely during the attack and was going to need root canals and caps to save two more.  Weeks later, as the swelling and pain in my head resided, I would realize that I also had 6 broken ribs from the attack.  However, that was only the physical ailments I returned with.

             Mentally, a huge part of me died in Mexico and I often mourn the  trusting and outgoing individual I once was.  This experience has changed the entire way I live my life and I have spent months in therapy and thousands of dollars to rid myself of the constant fear that I now live with.   One of the hardest things I have had to deal with is the fact that although I was raped by one man, I have been literally screwed by an entire country.

             I still find it hard to comprehend that in the year 2008, there are places left in the world where such violence against ANYONE is not only still tolerated, but not even treated as a serious crime.  Where they had to pass a law to force police to investigate a crime, how sad that is. 

 

             The Aftermath….

 

             Since the attack, I have worked diligently trying to find some sense of justice for what happened to me.  I, being an American, thought that the police would simply arrest these men and they would be put into jail for the crimes they committed.  However, due to the laws and the corruption in Mexico, this has yet to happen.

             I never knew much about the politics of Mexico until this happened to me, however,  I have learned that only a few years ago, the punishment for killing a cow in some states, was harsher than that of killing a woman.  And in

 February 2007, the government of Mexico passed a law mandating the enforcement on women’s complaints of violence,    

In hopes of pushing the local police into taking these crimes seriously and following through with an investigation and criminal proceedings. 

             In Cancun, they have, within their police department, a sex crimes unit made up of entirely women, who’s sole job is to deal with women who have been assaulted, either physically or sexually.  These women, deal with over 20 cases per day and are not only overwhelmed by their caseloads alone, but are also looked at with contempt by many fellow officers, for simply being women and wanting to stand up for theses victims and see these types of crimes punished. 

             I have sent hundreds of emails and letters to people all over the US and Mexico, literally begging for help, but to no avail.  Six months after my attack, I was fortunate enough to find an Angel in Mexico, in the form of Ms. Lydia Cacho who operates a women’s shelter in Cancun.  Her office has been representing me for months now and they are trying to work through all the red tape to get these monsters off the streets, however, they too are overwhelmed by the number of women needing their help. 

             During my search for some type of justice, I have met several other women who were also raped while vacationing in Mexico and like me, feel that they have been simply pushed under the rug and their stories were not taken seriously.  Most were told by their hotel staff and even the US Embassy, that “bad things happen in Cancun all the time and there isn't anything we can do about it”. 

             Since learning the staggering numbers of rapes and assaults on women in Mexico and the nonchalant way that they are handled, I have decided to make it my goal to tell the world what is going on south of the border and draw attention to this problem. 

             Before I traveled to Mexico, I was under the impression that it was a tropical paradise and the worst thing I should fear was sunburn.  However, now I realize that Mexico is a third world country and although Americans spend BILLIONS of dollars each year traveling south of the boarder, no one is watching out for them to ensure that when a crime is committed, justice can be served.  And in fact, tourists are often discouraged from even reporting crimes to the police at all, which leads to a very inaccurate count of the numbers of crimes committed. 

             It is my hope that by maintaining this website, I am able to make some difference, no matter how small it may be, in the way that these crimes are viewed.  No one, MAN or WOMAN deserves to be raped or beaten by another human being and nothing done about it.  Someone, somewhere has to take a stand and try and put a stop to this by saying NO. 

NO means NO, even in Spanish. 

            

 About me….

If you or someone you know has a story like these, please feel free to contact us and share your story.  You may be able to save another life.

 

Contact us:

Rebecca@ithappenedinmexico.com