100 Community Promoters Take Violence Prevention to 45 Municipalities in Yucatán

Mérida, Yucatán — The Yucatán Women’s Secretariat (Semujeres) has deployed 100 community promoters across 45 municipalities as part of its 2026 violence prevention program, giving women a local network for guidance, support and referrals.

The program, which began in July and runs through December, is aimed at helping women recognize gender-based violence and preventing teenage pregnancy. Semujeres Secretary Sisely Burgos Cano said the promoters often serve as the first point of contact for women in communities that lack a Centro LIBRE support center.

Because the promoters come from the communities they serve, they understand local realities and dynamics and can guide women to municipal or state services, she added.

Each participant receives a bimonthly stipend of 6,600 pesos for six months. Their duties include organizing workshops, leading discussions, publicizing services and referring cases related to gender violence and teen pregnancy. Participants were selected from hundreds of applicants.

Among them is Fernanda, a 28-year-old mother of two from western Mérida, who joined the program based on her own experience. “I lived through violence and had normalized it. Getting out was a process,” she said.

Fernanda said prevention starts with clear information and supportive networks. “Women need to identify what violence is and have a support network — not be alone,” she said, adding that she plans to reach women who may be in similar situations but still lack the tools to name them or ask for help.

Liliana, a mother of a nine-year-old from Opichén, also joined the network. She said rural communities still need much more prevention work. “There’s a lot of machismo; stereotypes are deeply rooted,” she said. She intends to focus on recognizing different forms of violence and preventing teenage pregnancy.

From the state’s eastern region, María Fernanda said a lack of information causes many women in remote communities to endure aggression, discrimination or harassment without recognizing that such behavior should not be normalized.

“Many of us grow up with the idea that that’s just the way things are, that nothing can be done,” she said. “I want to do my part to tell people, both men and women, that things don’t have to be this way.”

The 100 promoters will work in 45 priority municipalities, mainly Mérida, Ticul, Progreso, Kanasín and Umán. In 2025, the program reached 60 municipalities with 100 promoters, 41 of them Maya speakers. This year’s cohort keeps the same number of participants and includes Maya-speaking women for communities where most residents communicate in that language.