Puerto Aventuras Leaves Quintana Roo’s Top 20 Violence Against Women List

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — Puerto Aventuras has dropped off the list of 20 Quintana Roo communities with the highest rates of violence against women, according to data from the state’s women’s violence database, officials said.

The change follows 78 reports registered during outreach work in the area, said Idania Gamboa, director of the Playa del Carmen Women’s Institute. The reports allowed authorities to track cases and helped the community leave the list.

“Puerto Aventuras is out of the top 20 communities with the highest rates of violence,” Gamboa said. “We’re seeing more emergency calls and more victims receiving care, and we will continue strengthening this work.”

She cautioned, however, that family violence remains the most common issue in the community, accounting for 88.9 percent of recorded cases. About 20 percent of cases stem from emergency calls to authorities.

Gamboa also noted a shift in reporting: more women are now coming forward to report violence, whereas in the past many chose not to.

Women seek economic independence

During community dialogues in Puerto Aventuras, residents asked for more workshops and training programs to help women earn their own income. Gamboa said strengthening economic autonomy is part of violence prevention, since it reduces victims’ financial dependence on their abusers.

Across the municipality, the Women’s Institute handles more than 50 cases per week involving different types of violence, working with the Center for Women’s Care (CAM), the DIF family services agency, and other institutions.

The institute’s heat map currently identifies Villas del Sol and Colonia Colosio as the areas with the highest number of reports.