Mexican mothers searching for loved ones demand answers and justice

13

Hundreds of people marched in Mexico City on Friday, August 31, to protest missing family members, hanging pictures of their loved ones to commemorate International Day of the Disappeared.

According to official figures, at least 115,000 people have disappeared in Mexico since 1952, but the true number is likely higher.

According to official figures, at least 115,000 people have disappeared in Mexico since 1952, but the true number is likely higher.

During the country’s “dirty war,” a conflict that lasted into the 1970s, the disappearances were attributed to government repression.

Over the past two decades, it has become increasingly difficult to track down the perpetrators and causes of disappearances as authorities in several states battle drug cartels and organized crime gains traction.

Human trafficking, kidnappings, reprisals and forced recruitment by cartel members are some of the reasons cited by human rights groups. Disappearances affect local communities and migrants traveling through Mexico in the hope of reaching the US.

Among the thousands of affected family members are mothers whose children have disappeared.

Below are some of the AP report’s findings about how some of these women have taken up the quest on their own, with the support of a number of religious leaders who offer spiritual guidance.

TYT News Desk