Norma Andrade

Norma Esther Andrade is one of the founding members of Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a Casa A.C., a Mexican non-profit association of mothers whose daughters have been victims of female homicides in Ciudad Juárez. Her daughter, Lilia Alejandra García Andrade, disappeared on February 14, 2001. On February 21, Lilia Alejandra's body was found wrapped in a blanket. On her body were signs of physical and sexual assault.

Andrade is also the mother of the director of the May Our Daughters Return Home group, Malu Garcia, who was forced to flee to Mexico City due to threats (suspected to be from drug traffickers). According to reports, on September 30 of 2011, Malu’ Garcia received threatening phone calls from an unidentified source claiming to know the location of her and her family, including her mother. Shortly after, a close friend of Malu’ Garcia was assaulted and threatened. After she was physically assaulted, she was instructed to the tell Malu’ that she had 12 hours to leave the city or they would kill her family members. In response to these actions, increased protection was requested for Malu’ and her mother, Norma Andrade, in response to the threats they were facing.

On February 3 of 2012 Norma Andrade was attacked for a second time by an unknown assailant outside of her residence. At approximately 9am on February 3, 2012 Norma Andrade left her house in the Coyoacán neighborhood in the south of Mexico City to escort her granddaughter to school. She was attacked by a man whose identity remains unknown. He slashed her face with a knife before immediately fleeing the scene. Andrade was brought to the hospital where she was treated for a two-inch lesion in her cheek. The house in which the second attack took place is the house she chose to stay in for protection following the first attacks on her life. Andrade was supposed to be under police protection when the second attack occurred.

Following the second attack on Andrade's life, a petition was started on Twitter requesting that Mexican President Felipe Calderón give Andrade the protection she needs and deserves. The petition argued that if the Mexican state cannot find those responsible for the assault, rape, and murder of her daughter they could at least provide adequate protection.