View letter to Consul General

New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. today released a letter to Mexico 's Consul General expressing his concerns about the safety of female maquiladora workers in Ciudad Juarez , Mexico .

In August 2003, Amnesty International reported that approximately 370 women and girls in Ciudad Juarez had been murdered and 500 more had gone missing over the previous decade. Many of them were held captive for several days and subjected to humiliation, torture and sexual violence before being strangled or beaten to death.

“Since 1993, hundreds of young women employed in the maquiladora factories of Ciudad Juarez have been subjected to brutal sexual attacks and murder,” Thompson wrote in the letter to Consul General Sarukhan Casamitjana. “In 2002, a report of the Special Rapporteur of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights found that the response of the Mexican government to these killings was seriously deficient, and that the lack of security in and around the industrial parks where the maquilas are located posed significant risks to workers at these facilities.”

The Rapporteur also stated that the Mexican government bears responsibility for ensuring that the maquilas meet their duties under law to their workers and should invest in measures to support the workers and the communities that serve them.

The New York City pension funds, of which Thompson is custodian, have more than $30 billion currently invested in U.S. companies with business operations in Mexico .

Last year, Thompson wrote to 103 companies in which the pension funds own shares and that have reported maquila operations in Ciudad Juarez to express concern about security threats female workers face, and to inquire about actions companies have taken to ensure their safety. Many companies wrote back detailing their efforts to protect the workers, including providing private bus transportation to and from work, requiring background checks on all bus drivers, securing and monitoring access to plants, and offering security awareness training programs and self-defense courses. Some companies, however, do little or nothing to ensure the safety of their workers.

“Many of the companies correctly indicated in their replies to us that public safety is first and foremost the responsibility of the national government,” Thompson wrote. “For this reason, I am requesting information on the measures your government is taking to address this serious problem.”

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