Thousands of women marched through Tijuana, Mexicali, and Ensenada on Sunday to mark International Women’s Day, demanding justice for victims of gender-based violence and an end to femicide across the state. The 8M marches in Baja California drew the largest turnout in Tijuana, where between 2,500 and 4,000 women filled the streets of Zona Río.
In Tijuana, the march began at 1:00 p.m. at the Glorieta de las Tijeras near CECUT. Contingents traveled through the main avenues of Zona Río toward the Municipal Palace before returning to the starting point. The newly formed Feminist Front of Tijuana organized the event, bringing together three groups: Mujer Lunar Espacio, Feministas Todo Baja, and We R Women on Fire. The coalition plans to maintain an active agenda throughout the year, according to Semanario ZETA. A “bloque negro” contingent carried out graffiti and spray-painted messages on buildings along the route.
In Mexicali, more than 500 women gathered at 3:00 p.m. at the monument to Vicente Guerrero and marched toward the Chinesca district. Participants carried banners, lit bengalas (flares), and chanted slogans targeting institutional inaction on violence against women, according to Periodismo Negro. Children, people with disabilities, and even pets joined the procession. Some protest signs targeted Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila directly, with one widely shared message reading “Marina no es aliada, es privilegiada” (Marina is not an ally, she is privileged).
In Ensenada, feminist collectives assembled at 2:00 p.m. in Parque de la Obrera under the slogan “Mujeres a las Calles” (Women to the Streets). The march focused on making visible the violence women face across the municipality and demanding accountability from local authorities.
Governor Marina del Pilar held a separate commemoration on March 6 in Mexicali, where she highlighted programs like the Tarjeta Violeta (benefiting more than 100,000 women), Escuadrón Violeta, and Transporte Violeta. She expressed respect for the social movement while emphasizing her administration’s record on women’s issues. The Sunday marchers, by contrast, made clear that government programs have not matched the scale of the crisis.