This case study examines the role played by civil society in collaboration with the State of Veracruz government in implementing legal frameworks that support women’s rights and freedom from violence in a region where femicide is a constant. It focuses on the relationship between the Veracruz network of citizen organisations (ROCVER) and government actors in the implementation of the Women’s Institute in Veracruz, which was created as a result of both citizen pressure and new legal frameworks. It looks at the way these networks played a key role in supporting the Luz Marina Center, which serves as a shelter and legal aid service for indigenous women who suffer from violence. The centre was established in early 2007 by missionaries from the Order of Immaculate Conception, in partnership with a group of local women.