Quintana Roo Leads Yucatan Peninsula in Rape and Sexual Abuse Cases

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — Quintana Roo registered 1,820 victims of sexual crimes from January through September, the highest total on the Yucatan Peninsula, according to federal public security data. The state averages roughly two rape victims a day and four victims a day of sexual abuse or harassment, the figures show.

The data comes from the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System, compiled through the National Information Center on Victims of Common-Jurisdiction Crimes. It tracks simple rape, so-called “equated” rape, sexual abuse and sexual harassment.

Peninsula comparison

Campeche ranks second on the peninsula, averaging five rape victims a week and three victims a week of abuse or harassment. Yucatán posts the lowest figures, with about one rape victim a week and an average of 2.6 victims of abuse or harassment.

Rape cases

Simple rape accounted for 325 victims in Quintana Roo, 49 in Campeche and 35 in Yucatán. Article 265 of the Federal Criminal Code defines the crime as intercourse with a person of any sex through physical or moral violence.

“Equated” rape, covered by Article 266, is more broadly defined. It includes intercourse without violence with a person under 18, with someone unable to understand the meaning of the act, or with someone who for any reason cannot resist. It also covers the non-violent introduction, for lewd purposes, of objects or instruments other than the penis by anal or vaginal route in such circumstances. Quintana Roo recorded 260 victims under this category, Campeche 143 and Yucatán a single case.

Abuse and harassment

Sexual abuse accounted for 980 victims in Quintana Roo, 127 in Campeche and 77 in Yucatán. Sexual harassment added 255 victims in Quintana Roo, 10 in Campeche and 19 in Yucatán.

Article 260 of the Federal Criminal Code defines sexual abuse as any act of a sexual nature carried out without the victim’s consent and without the intent of reaching intercourse, whether in public or private, or forcing the victim to observe it or perform it on themselves, on a third party or on the aggressor.

Article 259 Bis defines sexual harassment as the repeated, lewd pestering of a person of any sex by someone taking advantage of a hierarchical position derived from work, teaching, domestic or any other relationship involving subordination.