Protests against gender violence in Mexico have intensified in recent years amid an increase in killings of women and girls. The killings are often accompanied by sexual assault and sometimes grisly mutilations. Women are expected to express their outrage in a march in Mexico City on Sunday, International Women’s Day. Smaller demonstrations will be held across the country. Women and girls also plan to hold protests on Monday. Mexican women are being urged to skip school, shun housework and stay home from work to show the country what it’s like to go one day without them.

Government statistics show that more than 10 females are slain on average every day in Mexico, making it one of the most dangerous countries in the world for girls and women. As recently as 2017 an average of seven women were killed each day in Mexico.

“The context of violence against women and against girls in Mexico is especially grave,” said Nira Cárdenas, coordinator of the gender unit at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Mexico.

In addition to half the population being at high risk of violence, impunity is a major problem. Few reported crimes in Mexico result in convictions.

Participation in the annual march on Sunday is expected to be higher than during previous marches as a broader swath of society joins the families of the killed and missing who frequently take to the streets, accompanied by feminists and activists.