MEXICO CITY: Thousands of women marched through the Mexican capital and scuffled with police on Thursday demanding an end to femicide and other gender-based violence in the Latin American country.

"They didn't die. They killed them," read one of the banners carried at the rally to mark International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

Shouting "Not one (woman) less," the crowd, dressed in black with flashes of purple, the color of the women's rights movement, demanded justice for victims of gender violence.

"Femicide Mexico! They're killing us!" one protester cried out during a brief scuffle with the police.

Tensions flared when a small number of hammer-wielding protesters tried to grab shields from police officers, who repelled them with smoke bombs.

Around 10 women are killed every day in Mexico and activists accuse the government of not doing enough to tackle the problem.

More than 10,700 women have been murdered in Mexico since 2019, according to official figures.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has criticized feminist marches on more than one occasion, suggesting that they are promoted by his enemies to undermine his government.

Around 1,500 policewomen were deployed along the route of the march from the Paseo de la Reforma avenue to the city's main square, home to the presidential palace.

Shops and prominent monuments were fenced off to prevent vandalism.