Spousal abuse has left millions of Mexican women single with children. Many move in with relatives to escape the aggression. While laws are in place to end domestic violence, they are rarely enforced. Correspondent Gerry Hadden reports from the Yucatan Peninsula on the struggles of single motherhood and the efforts underway to empower women.

Startling data has come out in recent years about violence against women in Mexico. A 2013 study by the National Commission for Prevention and Eradication of Violence Against Women (Conavim) reports 66 percent of Mexican women 15 and older have suffered abuse. The Mexican government puts that figure even higher — estimating 80 percent of women have been abused.

Hadden introduces us to a woman who has been a force for change in the Yucatan. George-Ann Tuck is a former professor, cultural anthropologist, and advocate for women’s rights. Originally from Missouri in the United States, Huck has lived in Mexico for four decades and believes the key to empowering women is through education. She helps teach the area’s youth about sex education and financial independence.

Beating domestic violence in Mexico

Spousal abuse has left millions of Mexican women single with children. Many move in with relatives to escape the aggression. Laws are in place to end domestic violence, but are rarely enforced. Correspondent Gerry Hadden reports from the Yucatan peninsula on the struggles of single motherhood and the efforts underway to empower women.

Women continue to struggle against a macho culture in Mexico that leaves them not only unequal but often victims of violence. In recent decades, the northern city of Ciudad Juarez has captured worldwide attention for the disappearances of thousands of women. But victims and activists say the problem is everywhere.

In July dozens of women protested against domestic violence in front of Mexico’s Interior Ministry.According to the U.N., Mexico is considered one of the world’s 20 worst countries when it comes to violence against women.