On the International Day of the Disappeared, Mexico witnessed a poignant gathering as mothers led protests, urging the government to step up their efforts to find their missing children.
These mothers are part of a somber statistic: approximately 111,000 people have vanished in Mexico over several decades of violence.
Their cries for government action underscore a growing frustration with what they consider a systemic failure to address this crisis.
International Day of the Disappeared: An Unforgettable March Through Mexico City
On the International Day of the Disappeared, nearly 200 protesters, predominantly mothers, took to the main avenues of Mexico City. Their unified cries of "Where are they? Where are our children?" reverberated through the streets.
These chants served not only as an emotional release but also as a form of resistance against the Mexican government's apparent attempts to understate the gravity of the missing child crisis.
One of the mothers at the forefront was Edith Pérez Rodríguez, who wore a T-shirt adorned with photographs of her two sons, Alexis and José Arturo Domínguez Pérez. Both have been missing for a decade, last seen in the northern state of San Luis Potosi in Mexico.
Due to insufficient funds and personnel, Mexican law enforcement and legal teams find themselves unable to carry out even the most basic searches for missing children. This has necessitated the formation of volunteer groups, predominantly composed of mothers.
These determined women frequently scour suspected burial grounds in Mexico, using shovels and steel rods to detect the unmistakable smell of decomposed bodies. Their relentless work underscores the dire need for more effective government action.
It is commonly believed that a significant number of the missing individuals in Mexico, particularly missing children, have fallen victim to drug cartels or other criminal entities.
The assumption is that these abducted individuals are often hastily buried or even burned.
This harsh reality fueled the calls on the International Day of the Disappeared for meaningful government action in Mexico to both locate missing children and hold responsible parties accountable.
Government Action or Inaction: A Public Call for Accountability
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has asserted that the number of missing children in Mexico is exaggerated.
His government has initiated a door-to-door survey, led by military and untrained civilian personnel, to gather information about the missing and cross-reference names against vaccination records. Activists, mostly mothers, believe this is a misplaced effort.
On this International Day of the Disappeared, they argue that such government action is not only insufficient but also diverts resources from actually finding their missing children.
"That's why we are here-to tell the president these numbers are not inflated. This is the reality," said Pérez Rodríguez, reinforced by the presence of numerous other protesting mothers demanding the same government action.
Public Distrust and Ongoing Struggles
Irma Guerrero has been on a desperate search for her son David, who also went missing in San Luis Potosi in January 2022. Since his disappearance, she claims she has received "nothing, not from anyone" in the form of government action or aid.
The distrust of the government in Mexico is widespread. On the International Day of the Disappeared, mothers like Jessica Martinez Cervantes, who has been searching for her brother Esteban, expressed a similar sentiment.
They have received "absolutely nothing" when it comes to government action or support in their quest to find their missing children.
As Mexico observed the International Day of the Disappeared, the protests led by these mothers served as a grim reminder of a deep-rooted crisis.
Their demands for more effective government action in locating their missing children have yet to yield tangible results, but their collective voice is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
