The murder of a 22 -year -old model and digital influencer in Colombia caused a commotion in the country and established parallels with the death of another Mexican influencer last week, highlighting the high rates of femicide in Latin America.
Maria Jose Estizan, a university student in the city of Cucuta, in northeastern Colombia, was killed on May 15, according to Magda Victoria Acosta, chairman of the National Gender Commission of the Colombian Judiciary.
At a news conference, Acosta said that the suspect, disguised as a delivery man, shot in Estupinan at home when she opened the door.
“She was a young and entrepreneurial woman with a lifetime ahead, but these dreams were interrupted, just like the dreams of many women in this country,” Acosta said.
Estasan had been a victim of domestic violence and was about to receive compensation for it, he added Acosta. She made the commission “vehemently” the committee “vehement” and would work to do justice.
Authorities are investigating the murder.
THE CNN Contact the Colombian National Police and the Public Prosecution Service for more information.
Maria Jose Estizan displayed photos of her trips and daily life, including travel to New York and California, and photos of her posing at the pool or the gym on her Facebook page.
The case was widely covered by local media and disclosed on social networks, with many viewers comparing the case to the murder of beauty influencer Valeria Márquez, 23, on May 13, in Mexico.
A few days before Estizan’s death, Márquez was killed during a live broadcast in a salon by an invader.
Jalisco’s Mexican state authorities have reported that they are investigating Marquez’s death as a suspected femicide – the murder of a woman or girl for gender reasons.
Although not all homicides involving women are femicide, many are.
In 2020, a quarter of women’s murders in Mexico were investigated as femicides, with cases reported in each of the 32 states of the country, according to Amnesty International.
Acosta did not say whether Estizan’s death was suspected of femicide – but the murder showed the huge scale of violence against women in Colombia.
Gender violence is widespread in the country, including armed groups, according to the non -profit organization Human Rights Watch.
Survivors face many obstacles to seek care or justice, and the perpetrators are rarely responsible, the group noted in the 2024 world report.
The Colombian National Gender Commission recorded thousands of cases of gender and domestic violence, including high rates of sexual violence, neglect, abandonment and psychological violence, said Acosta.
About 41 women were missing in Colombia between January and August last year – with 34 cases in Cucuta, where Estizan lived, Acosta said. Many of the women were underage.
The northeast of Colombia has been particularly volatile in recent months, with a sharp increase in clashes between militant factions.
The escalation of violence in the Catatumbo region has moved tens of thousands of people in January, many of whom migrated to Cucuta, where the Colombian army mobilized thousands of soldiers and special forces.
This content was originally published in after execution of Mexican influencer, Colombian model is murdered on CNN Brazil.
Source: CNN Brasil
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