SXU to host "Stop the Killing of Women in Juarez!" on Oct. 6

Marisela Ortiz Rivera of Bring Our Daughters Back Home will speak about the nearly 400 young women who were kidnapped and murdered

Chicago (Oct. 4, 2011) In response to the kidnapping and murder of hundreds of young women in Mexico, Saint Xavier University will host “Stop the Killing of Women in Juarez!” on Thurs., Oct. 6 at its Chicago campus, 3700 W. 103rd St. The event is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the Fourth Floor Board Room, located in the Warde Academic Center. It is free and open to the public.

Marisela Ortiz Rivera, co-founder of the human rights group Bring Our Daughters Back Home/Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a Casa, will give a presentation about the nearly 400 young women who have been kidnapped, tortured and murdered in the border city of Juarez, Mexico during the past 20 years.

Ortiz Rivera co-founded the group after one of her students, 17-year-old Lilia Alejandra, joined the list of victims. Ortiz Rivera and Norma Andrade, Alejandra's mother, united to bring the world's attention to these murders and their grievous toll on the community. Ortiz Rivera has received numerous death threats for her work and her son-in-law Jesus Alfredo Portillo Santos, who also was a partner in the advocacy work, was murdered. Faced with what her group considers the indifference of local police, Ortiz Rivera is now seeking political asylum in the United States.

This event is sponsored by the Latino/Latin American Studies program.


-SXU-

Media Contact:
Karla Thomas, Executive Director of Media Relations
(773) 298-3937 or kthomas@sxu.edu