Thousands of women and supporters took to the streets across Baja California and Baja California Sur on Saturday, March 8, for International Women’s Day marches demanding justice for feminicide victims, attention to missing women cases, and improved access to public services.
The demonstrations, known collectively as the 8M movement, represented the largest coordinated feminist action of the year across the peninsula, with organized marches in Tijuana, La Paz, Cabo San Lucas, and Loreto.
Tijuana’s Consolidated March and Massive Security Operation
In Tijuana, organizers consolidated what had been multiple separate marches in prior years into a single unified demonstration, departing from the Glorieta Las Tijeras roundabout at 1:00 p.m. The consolidation was expected to produce a larger turnout than in previous years.
The Municipal Security and Citizen Protection Secretariat deployed more than 300 female police officers specifically trained to handle situations with a gender perspective. Security Secretary José Avilés Amezcua emphasized that the officers were there to support citizens, not to confront them.
The city installed portable restrooms at the staging area, set up hydration points along the route, and positioned ambulances with paramedics to treat heat exhaustion. Municipal traffic police closed roads along the march route to prevent accidents and ensure demonstrator safety.
Baja California Sur: La Paz, Cabo San Lucas, and Loreto
In Baja California Sur, the public discussion leading up to 8M was heavily schedule-driven, with organizers publishing detailed routes and meeting points for marches in La Paz, Cabo San Lucas, and Loreto. The BCS marches carried a clear agenda of demands centered on justice for feminicide victims, greater attention to cases of missing women, and expanded access to essential services.
A Peninsula United in Protest
The 8M marches across Baja reflect a broader national movement that saw demonstrations in cities throughout Mexico. The events combined solemn remembrance of women killed or disappeared with demands for systemic change in how authorities handle gender-based violence. For residents and visitors in the region, the marches also meant temporary road closures and adjusted traffic patterns in major urban centers throughout the day.