Series of femicides cast a dark shadow over Mexico's 'sunshine state'

The Guardian: Quintana Roo is Mexico’s sunshine state, a booming tourists’ playground which draws record numbers of holiday-makers to its golden beaches, coral reefs, Mayan ruins and all-inclusive package deals.

But in recent weeks, the Caribbean region has been badly shaken by a string of brutal murders of women – which authorities have seemed keen to downplay. Read more.

Media reports say Mexican police were involved in January killings

Reuters: Three media outlets said on Sunday that Mexican federal police killed 16 unarmed people in two separate attacks in January, appearing to contradict an account by the federal government that the deaths could have been caused by friendly fire.

Aristegui Noticias, Univision and Proceso published similar accounts of the deaths in Apatzingan in the restive western state of Michoacan. They were the latest reports to allege abuses by security forces in the country. Read more. 

11 Numbers To Help You Understand The Violence Rocking Mexico

Huffington Post: On Sept. 26, dozens of students at a Mexican teachers' college went missing after a protest in the city of Iguala. They were last seen being hauled off into police vans and haven't been heard from since.

While searching for the missing students, investigators have uncovered a string of mass graves, police working for drug cartels and government officials at the helm of criminal operations.  Read more. 

Enough! Mexico Is Ready to Explode

Huffington Post: Mexico has been profoundly shaken by atrocities and high-level corruption in Guerrero. The earthquake's epicenter is Iguala, the state's third largest city.

Fifty thousand marchers thronged Mexico City's main avenues last Wednesday, and demonstrations took place all over the country. More than 80 delegates to the Inter-University Assembly have called for a nationwide halt to all educational activities on Nov. 5, and are asking other social groups to join them. Protesters set fire to state headquarters in Chilpancingo, Guerrero's capital, and are sacking supermarkets and shopping centers. Read more. 

Torture in Mexico: ‘I still think it was a nightmare’

Amnesty International 
June 21, 2013

The Mexican National Human Rights Commission recently reported that during 2012 alone, it had received 1,921 complaints of human rights violations committed by the armed forces and 802 against federal police.

“Security forces across Mexico continue to target people perceived as the enemy, particularly those believed to have links to drug trafficking – without necessarily possessing any real evidence. This has resulted in arbitrary detentions, torture, enforced disappearances and unlawful killings,” said Rupert Knox, Mexico researcher at Amnesty International.  Read more. 

Indigenous Women In Mexico Call For An End To Domestic Violence

The Huffington Post 
By Hirania Luzardo
February 22, 2013

A group of indigenous rarámuri women in Sierra Tarahumara, north of Mexico, have launched a campaign to stop the increasing violence they face daily, which in many cases is culturally accepted in their communities and involves physical, verbal, psychological and sexual aggression.

They are known as "las multiplicadoras" ("the multipliers") and their mission is to raise consciousness by educating men and women from the mountains of Chihuahua to reverse the pattern of abuse, program coordinator Vianney Salas said in an interview with Univision’s “Primer Impacto.”

"They come out different," Salas said. "They come out of this program understanding the right to have a life free of violence."

According to various studies, it is estimated that 90 percent of women in these communities have suffered some form of violence.

"I thought it was normal to be worth less than men," an indigenous woman said on the Univisión show. "I understand now that I have rights."  Read more. 

Mexico's 'Crisis Of Disappearance': Families Seek Answers

NPR by Carrie Kahn

February 21, 2013

Maximina Hernandez says she begged her 23-year old son, Dionicio, to give up his job as a police officer in a suburb of Monterrey. Rival drug cartels have been battling in the northern Mexican city for years.

But he told her being a police officer was in his blood, a family tradition. He was detailed to guard the town's mayor.

In May 2007, on his way to work, two men wearing police uniforms stopped Dionicio on a busy street, pulled him from his car and drove him away. That same day, the mayor's other two bodyguards were also abducted. Witnesses say the kidnappers wore uniforms of an elite anti-drug police unit. The three men haven't been seen since.  Read more.  

3rd National Meeting Of Women Human Rights Defenders: Public Statement

National Network of Women Human Rights Defenders*
January 30, 2013

On the 25th and 26th of January, the National Network of Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs) convened a meeting of more than 60 indigenous, rural and mestiza WHRDs.  Dedicated to the defense and promotion of the human rights of women, they gathered from diverse regions of the country for the Third National Meeting of Women Human Rights Defenders.

Together we recalled that to date in Mexico there have been more than 70 000 assassinated, 20 000 disappeared, more than 250 000 displaced, and that up to five women are assassinated daily.  We also remembered the past election, marked by unlawfulness, a lack of legitimacy, and the repression of protesters on December 1, 2012.  Far from respecting and protecting our human rights, security forces at the state and federal level continue to be involved in acts of corruption, impunity, authoritarianism, and state terrorism.  

This violent reality has cost at least 25 WHRDs their lives, among them 8 journalists.  Mexico’s rate of death threats to WHRDs is the second highest in the Americas, exceeded only by Colombia, according to the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders.

Nobel Peace Prize Winner Jody Williams' Message of Support to the Mexican Peace Caravan

The Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity demanded an end to the drug war in the capital of the nation that launched the war. After setting off from AFL-CIO headquarters where the nation's largest federation of unions saluted its efforts, the caravan planted itself in front of the White House, then proceeded to Freedom Plaza.

In the Plaza, as the sun set over the Capitol, Xochitl Espinosa of the National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities read a statement of support from Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jody Williams. Below is the statement in its entirety:

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MESSAGE FROM NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNER JODY WILLIAMS TO THE MEXICAN CARAVAN FOR PEACE WITH JUSTICE AND DIGNITY.

As a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, as director of the Nobel Women’s Initiative and as a sister peace activist, I send this message to express my support for the Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity, and to congratulate all the members of the caravan for the sacrifice and commitment that have brought you across the country to share your pain-- and your hope-- with the U.S. public.

I’m really sorry that I can’t be with you in person today, to welcome the Caravan for Peace to Washington DC, to stand beside you as you deliver your message to stop the drug war that has devastated your country and your families, to support you as you ‘speak truth to power’ here, in the center of power.

I have lived and worked in Mexico and consider that great country not just a neighboring nation, but another home. It has grieved me to see Mexico, and Mexicans, immersed in violence over the past years. As a result of that growing concern, my organization, the Nobel Women’s Initiative along with Just Associates led an international delegation to Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala. We heard hundreds of testimonies from women who are confronting violence. Many of those terrible stories and most of the pain we listened to was caused by the war on drugs.

Our conclusion was that: the war on drugs has become a war on women. We see on this caravan many examples of brave women who have turned their pain into action, who have converted grief into a tireless demand for justice.

And so I send a warm greeting to the Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity.

For there is no other kind of peace. There can be no lasting peace without justice. There can be no peace as a result of militarization, and fighting violence with violence. There can be no peace not founded on respect for human rights and dignity.

It is only through collective, non-violent action--where women are recognized as equal partners and leaders--that we can build peace.

That is why the work of Mexico’s peace movement is so important. That is why your presence here in the United States—a nation that continues to support the war on drugs that has claimed the lives of so many of your loved ones--has such meaning for all of us who work for peace.

Thank you. I wish you much success.

Jody Williams received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 for her work to ban landmines through the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, which shared the Peace Prize with her that year. At that time, she became the 10th woman - and third U.S. woman - in its almost 100-year history to receive the Prize.  Since her protests of the Vietnam War, she has been a life-long advocate of freedom, self-determination and human and civil rights.  www.nobelwomensinitiative.org

Seeking justice for Mexico state's female victims

Los Angeles Times: Hundreds of women and girls are killed every year in Mexico state, known as Edomex. One woman who lost her daughter, 14, puts her life at risk to press her case.

By Tracy Wilkinson. ECATEPEC, Mexico — At 14, Jessica Lucero had already lived a hard life. A stint in rehab, dropping out of school, making her way, day in, day out, in a terribly violent, desperately poor neighborhood.

But things were looking up. She had stayed clean and was planning to resume studies. She dreamed of becoming a forensic pathologist.

Then, in June, Jessica was raped by a man she later identified as a notorious neighbor, a known drug pusher. Jessica's reaction was to do something that few people twice her age have ever dared. She went to the authorities and denounced the crime.

Not 30 days later, she was killed, beaten to death with a small boulder. The force of the blow was so strong that her skull left a dint in the ground that would remain for days. Read more.

Mexican Women Human Rights Defenders Testify Before UN Committee against Discrimination

Dear Readers,

The following is a press release on Mexican civil society testimony before the Committee of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The testimony presented by Margarita Martinez and human rights organizations reported widespread violations of women's rights, a lack of compliance with recommendations issued on extremely cases such as the rape of women in police custody in Atenco, and no real follow-up on obtaining justice for crimes against women.  

You can hear more about the increase of violence and discrimination in the context of the drug war and Martinez's case in this NPR interview: (listen, transcript) The BBC published an interesting article on the testimony, comparing it to the Mexican government's official testimony, which emphasizes legal and institutional reforms and omits information on specific cases or advances. The Americas Program MexicoBlog has translated an article in Spanish by Lydia Cacho, who has personally suffered attacks for her work as a journalists and human rights defender.

Watch this blog and the Americas Program web page for more information. For the full reports from Mexico presented to the Committee, check this link.

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS AND JOURNALISTS IN MEXICO:  TESTIMONY BEFORE THE 52^ND SESSION OF THE CEDAW COMMITTEE IN NEW YORK

July 17, 2012

·      The human rights defender Margarita Martínez reports on the situation of violence against women human rights defenders and journalists in Mexico before the CEDAW Committee. 

·      Martínez has been tortured and repeatedly attacked for her work,  and despite protective measures mandated by the Inter-American Human Rights Commission, continuous threats have forced her family to flee Chiapas.  

·      In Latin America, Mexico has the highest number of attacks against journalists and the second highest number against women human rights defenders.

Between 2005 and 2012, violence against women in Mexico has cost the lives of 13 female journalists. In the past two years alone, 14 women human rights defenders have been killed.

Margarita Martínez, a Mexican human rights defender who has been tortured and attacked for her work, will make a presentation about the situation of violence against women human rights defenders and journalists in Mexico before the Committee of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

In 2009, Martínez began to receive threats and attacks against her and her family because of her work promoting the human rights and health of indigenous women in Chiapas. Late that year, her house was raided and family threatened by state police. In February 2010, she was kidnapped and tortured by unknown persons so that she would withdraw criminal charges she filed against public officials of the Government of Chiapas responsible for the attack.

Given the threat to her and her family’s lives, the Inter-American Human Rights Commission granted precautionary measures to guarantee effective protection. The Mexican government has not adequately implemented these measures and Martinez continues to receive threats. To date, the intellectual and material authors of the crime have not been punished and the threats continue.

Martinez is presenting her case and the crisis situation in her country, in representation of human right organizations including the National Network of Women Human Rights Defenders of Mexico, the Mesoamerican Initiative of Women Human Rights Defenders, CIMAC, Consorcio Oaxaca, the Women’s Roundtable of Juárez, Tlachinollan-HR and JASS (Just Associates). She is available for interviews.

CONTACT: Natalia Escrucería: Natalia@justassociates.org; +1-925783-4098

Violence Against Women Worse Than Ever in Juarez, Experts Say

Ciudad Juárez was formerly the focus of international attention for its murders of women, and now while the murder rate is being debated, many deaths and violence against women have not been investigated or punished.  

Fox News Latino: Ciudad Juárez, Mexico – The body of the 16-year old girl was found last month lying face down in a park near the U.S.-Mexico border.

Perla Cristal Garcia Ponte was released to her mother after being arrested the day before for public intoxication. Shortly after being returned to her family at 3:30 p.m., June 17, the teen ran away.

Next morning, her body was found in Chamizal Park, a well-traveled oasis in this city of brown and gray shades. Officials said she was strangled to death and found beneath a sign that said access to the area was for municipal use only. Read more. 

Wave of Violence Swallows More Women in Juárez

NY Times: CIUDAD JUÁREZ, Mexico — First, there were just a few bones and body parts, found in a valley beyond the sprawl of this wild city. At least four women had been killed and dumped, the authorities said. Then, in the same area, investigators made another discovery early this year: a dozen more dead women and girls.

Most disappeared in 2009 and 2010, and when last seen alive many were teenagers, good students with bright smiles of possibility. In death, however, they have become apparitions. Read more.

Violence puts Mexico among worst G20 countries for women

TrustLaw (A Thomas Reuters Foundation Service): LONDON, June 13 - Physical and sexual violence, a culture of male chauvinism, drug-related crime and poor access to healthcare in rural areas mean Mexico is among the worst places to be a woman out of the world’s most industrialised nations, a Thomson Reuters Foundation global survey of experts found on Wednesday.

Mexico polled 15th out of 19 countries in the Group of 20 most developed states, excluding the European Union economic grouping. India was ranked the worst place for women to live while Canada was the best, according to the perceptions of 370 gender specialists questioned by TrustLaw, a legal news service run by Thomson Reuters Foundation. Read more.

'War on women' in Mexico described as growing worse since escalation of drug war

Here is a brief note about the Nobel Women's Initiative delegation I participated in late January. You can read reports about the delegation on violence against women in Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala on our web page. Expect more, as well as related reports from the AWID international conference on women's rights and development in Turkey, over the coming weeks. LEC 

El Paso Times: "Violence against women in Mexico grew worse during the country's war against the drug cartels, according to the preliminary findings of a recent fact-finding delegation led by two Nobel laureates.

The delegation from the Nobel Women's Initiative also found that the same trend of violence against women holds true for Honduras and Guate mala, where Mexico-based drug-trafficking organizations have extended their operations.

"The war on drugs and increased militarization in Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala is becoming a war on women," said Jody Williams, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 for her work to ban land mines." read more

Mexican Women Human Rights Defenders Call for Full Investigation of Murder of Transgender Activist

Note: The Mexican Women Human Rights Defenders Network is made up of women activists from throughout the country and I am proud to be among its members. The Network coordinates rapid responses to attacks on women human rights defenders in the country, carries out studies and works on self-care and mutual protection and support. Unfortunately, we have been overwhelmed lately by the number of attacks and assassinations. Our hearts go out to the loved ones of Agnes and the other 16 defenders killed. Our community is saddened and lessened by their loss.

Five men have been arrested in the crime although investigation continues. 

International statements and sign-ons to the declaration below can be sent to: info@cipamericas.org

We repudiate and condemn the assassination of human rights defender Agnes Torres Hernandez and we call for an end to impunity.

We demand the Mexican government immediately solve the case of the assassination of the activist for defense of the human rights of the Lesbian, Gay, Transsexual and Bisexual community. 

Seventeen human rights defenders have been assassinated from 2010 to date, demonstrating the indifference of the government to guarantee the right to defend human rights. 

The national network of communications and urgent action of Women Human Rights Defenders in Mexico condems the MURDER of the woman human rights defender Agnes Torres Hernandez.

On April 10, 2012 the body of Agnes Torres Hernandez was found with signs of torture in the hillside of Xaxocuapatle, located a kilometer from the bridge that crosses Highway Siglo XXI of Puebla.

Agnes was a 28-year old psychologist and woman human rights defender from the Lesbian Gay community, who fought for laws to give legal standing to  trans people so they can modify their official documents according to their sexual identity, and thereby obtain equal employment and social opportunities.

She carried out activities on behalf of transgender people and also in academia. She graduated from the Psychology Department of the University of Veracruz in 2001, but could never receive her degree because her gender change was not recognized by the institution, which blocked her from completing the paperwork to enable her chosen name to appear on the degree.

In Puebla seven hate murders have been registered this year alone, including that of Agnes Torres Hernandez. The cases registered up to now in the state are characterized by impunity, or a lack of justice, since not no one has been arrested in any of the cases and investigations are stalled.

It is clear that the execution of Agnes Torres Hernandez took place in the context of harassment, persecution and intimidation aimed at stopping her from exercising her right to defend human rights. It is worth noting that this crime takes place in the framework of the past March 8 when Juan Pablo Castro Gamble, member of PAN youth, during the youth parliament organized by the Commission on Youth and Sports of the legislative Assembly criticize the PRD and the local government for approving laws that promote "marriage between queers."

Faced with the levels of violence and threats against human rights defenders, we demand that the Mexican State and the state of Puebla:

* Guarantee the right of women human rights defenders 

* An immediate halt to criminalization and violence against women and men human rights defenders

* Immediate and exhaustive investigation into the murder of Agnes Torres Hernandez and that those responsible for the crime be tried and punished.

Mexico, March 19, 2012

The National Network of Women Human Rights Defenders, Communication and Urgent Action

Alejandra Vela Garza (Alternativas Pacificas, Monterrey), Alicia Leal Puertas (Alternativas Pacíficas, DF), Aline Castellanos  (Oaxaca), Ana Karen López Quintana (Tamaulipas Diversidad Vihda Trans, Tamaulipas), Ana María Hernández (Consorcio para el Diálogo Parlamentario y la Equidad Oaxaca, Oaxaca), Alejandra Ancheita (Prodesc, DF), Alba Cruz (Oaxaca), Angélica Araceli Reveles  (CLADEM-México), Beatriz Casas (BARCA, Oaxaca), Beatriz Hernández Bautista (Circulo Profesional para la Formacion con Equidad de Género !Ndudxa Ndandi!), Blanca Martínez (Centro Diocesano para los Derechos Humanos “Fray Juan de Larios”, Coahulia), Blanca Mesina (CMDPDH, Baja California Norte), Blanca Velázquez (Centro de Apoyo al Trabajador, Puebla), Carolina Cantu (Coordinadora Guerrerense de Mujeres Indigenas y afromexicanas, Guerrero), Cecilia Espinosa Martínez (Red Mesa de Mujeres de Cd. Juárez, Cd. Juárez), Cecilia Oyorzabal Gómez (Timomatchtikan, Centro de Asesoría y Desarrollo entre Mujeres, Casa de la Mujer Indígena, Red Nacional de Asesoras y Promotoras Rurales, Puebla), Clemencia Correa (Consultora, DF), Consuelo Morales  (CADHAC, Nuevo León), Cristina Cruz López (Centro Regional de Derechos Humanos Bartolomé Carrasco “Barca”, Oaxaca), Cristina Hardága  (Tlachinollan, Guerrero), Daptnhe Cuevas (Consorcio para el Diálogo Parlamentario y la Equidad), Diana Damián (FOCA, Chiapas), Dolores González  (SERAPAZ, DF), Dora Avila (Centro para los derechos de la Mujer Nääxwiin), Edita Alavés (Mujeres Organizadas Yuubani, Oaxaca),  Elga Aguilar (Comité Cerezo, DF), Emelia Ortiz (Campaña Si no están ellas no estamos todas, Oaxaca), Felicitas Martínez Solano (coordinadora Regional de Autoridades Comunitarias policía comunitaria, Guerrero), Georgina Vargas Vera (CDH Victoria Diez, Guanajuato ), Guadalupe López (Lesbianas en Patlatonalli, Jalisco), Ileana Espinoza  (Red Mesa de Mujeres de Ciudad Juárez), Imelda Marrufo (Red Mesa de Mujeres de Cd. Juárez, Cd. Juárez), Irma Estrada Martinez  (Tribunal Internacional de Conciencia, DF), Ixchel Carrasco Arias (Enlace Comunicación y Capacitación, Guerrero), Josefina Chávez (Cuadernos Feministas, DF), Laura Carlsen (Programa de las Américas, DF), Laura García (Semillas, DF), Laura Gutiérrez (Mujeres Unidas: Olympia de Gouges, Baja California), Laura Velázquez (JASS, DF), Leticia Burgos (Red Feminista Sonorense, Sonora), Lidia Alpizar (AWID), Lucia Lagunés Huerta (México), Luz Estela Castro (Centro de Derechos Humanos de las Mujeres, Chihuahua), Margarita Guadalupe Martínez (Chiapas), María Elena Tapia Vázquez (Código DH, Oaxaca), María Rosa Guzmán Valdez (Red de Promotoras de Derechos Humanos de las Mujeres Indígenas en el Estado Jalisco, Jalisco), María Trinidad Ramírez (Frente de Pueblos en Defensa de la Tierra, Atenco), Martha Figueroa (Colem, Chiapas), Martha Graciela Ramos (Mujeres por México en Chihuahua, Chihuahua), Martha Pérez Pineda (Frente de Pueblos en Defensa de la Tierra, Atenco), Marusia López (JASS-Mesoamérica), Minerva Nora Martinez (BACRA, Oaxaca), Montserrat Díaz (Colectivo Feminista de Xalapa, Veracruz), Nadia Altamirano (CIMAC, Oaxaca), Nadia Maciel (Guerrero), Nadin Reyes (Comité de Familiares de Detenidos - Desaparecidos “Hasta Encontrarlos”, DF), Nora Bucio (CIMAC, Morelos), Obtilia Eugenio Manuel (Organización del Pueblo Indígena Me’phaa, Guerrero), Ofelia Cesáreo Sánchez (Coordinadora Guerrerense de Mujeres Indígenas y Afromexicanas, Guerrero), Orfe Castillo (JASS-Mesoamérica), Sandra Peniche (Servicios Humanitarios en Salud Sexual y Reproductiva, Yucatán), Sara Méndez  (Código DH, Oaxaca), Sandra Torres Pastrana (Red Defensoras México-Consorcio, Oaxaca), Silvia Castillo Salgado (Instituto Guerrerense de Derechos Humanos, Guerrero), Silvia Vázquez  (CMDPDH, Baja California Norte), Tania Ramírez (HIJOS-México, DF), Teresa Emeterio Martínez (Oaxaca), Theres Hoechli (Consorcio para el Diálogo Parlamentario y la Equidad Oaxaca, Oaxaca), Verónica Corchado (Colectiva: arte, comunidad y equidad, Grupo Articulación Justicia en Juárez, Cd. Juárez), Verónica Cruz (Las Libres, Guanajuato), Ximena Andión (EQUIS: Justicia para las Mujeres), Ximena Cortez  (Rosas Chillante, DF), Xóchitl Ramírez (Yotlakat Non Siwatl, Atzin Desarrollo Comunitario, Guerrero), Yanimiriam Valdez Baca (Centro de Derechos Humanos de las Mujeres, Chihuahua), Yenis Bernardino Rosendo (Guerrero), Yesica Sánchez Maya (Consorcio para el Diálogo Parlamentario y la Equidad Oaxaca, Oaxaca), Yunuhen Rangel Medina (Cimac, DF).

 
 

Human Rights: Autopsy Reveals Activist Agnes Torres was killed by Having Throat Slit

El Milenio- "The PGJ in Puebla confirms the murder and has begun the preliminary investigation (case number: AP/406/2012/Atlixco). The body was found a kilometer from a bridge on the highway Siglo XXI.

The State’s Attorney General’s Office in Puebla confirmed the murder of Agnes Torres Hernandez, political activist and transgender, who was found dead on a slope near a Puebla highway after having her throat slit.

The body of the gender-rights defender, who was officially recognized by the name Abraham Torres Hernandez (though she had been working to legally change her name in the capital), was found Saturday afternoon a kilometer away from a bridge on the highway Siglo XXI (21st century).

According to the autopsy performed by the coroner, the cause of death was hypovolemic shock caused by cutting with a sharp weapon. The autopsy was performed as part of the preliminary investigation into case number AP/406/2012/Atlixco.

The body of Torres Hernandez remained unidentified in the Atlixco morgue until Sunday when family members were able to identify it.

With the death of Abraham Torres Hernandez, there have been three hate crimes committed against homosexuals in Puebla, although activist groups, some represented by Ibrahim Zamora and the organization “De Ser” (To Be), have claimed that there have been six homicides against members of the gay community in Puebla in 2012.

Since last night friends and acquaintances of the activist had been reporting her disappearance through social networks like Facebook and Twitter, claiming that the last the had been known of her was that she left with her luggage en route to a party in Chilpilo, located in the town of San Gregorio Atzompa near the federal highway of Puebla-Atlixco." Spanish original 

Translation: Mikael Rojas, Americas Program intern 

Human Rights Abuses: Mothers in Ciudad Juarez seek help from international investigators to find those responsible for the disappearances of their daughters

La Jornada: Ciudad Juárez "Members of the Committee of Mothers with Disappeared Daughters sought support from international researchers to arrest those responsible for kidnapping and murdering women from 1993 to date, as Mexican authorities have not done so, they stressed.

Francisca Galvan, spokeswoman and lawyer for the activists, said the problem "is more serious than it seems, because in six months local authorities located 14 remains in the valley of Juárez and they have a registry of 115 missing."

The women, known as 'The Ladies'--who, with case records in hand, demand the return of their daughters alive--maintain that they have "no access" to justice, because the person or persons responsible for the killings are free.

Francisca Galvan stated that the mothers of the disappeared are a vulnerable group, because of the type of struggle that they are carrying out, but they also have great strength, "sometimes they begin to flag, but they continue the struggle to find their daughters."

"When officials of the three levels of government look them in the face, they become like little kids, because the Ladies tell the truth and require them to do their jobs," she said.

During a forum on access to justice held in Ciudad Juárez, Francisca Galvan charged that the government "specializes" in concealing information. They have created prosecutors for the issue, but do not do justice to the families of the victims.

The Committee for Missing Daughters Mothers reported that the whereabouts of more than 80 young people remains unknown from 2008 to date. Therefore, they requested the support of specialized international investigators to locate the individuals who have illegally deprived young people of their freedom, primarily in downtown Juarez.

So far this year, the Special Unit for Investigating the Disappearance of Women, from the Chihuahua Attorney General's office, has received 30 complaints. In 19 cases, the victims were minors. The prosecution acknowledges the disappearance of at least 222 females from 1993 to date, mostly minors." Spanish original

Violence Against Women: Mexico judge orders probe into killings of women

Associated Press: "A judge has ordered Mexican authorities to investigate the killings of women in the suburbs of Mexico City, reviving a sensitive issue related to a former governor, Enrique Peña Nieto, who is a leading candidate in the presidential race. (The judge) ruled a national, multi-government agency formed to fight violence against women should reconsider a request by activists to declare a state of alert for central Mexico State, .... Human rights groups say hundreds of women have been killed or gone missing in recent years in that state, which lies next to Mexico City and is home to 13 million people." read more

Mexico Crime: Mexico Arrests Four in Sex Trafficking Ring

InSight Crime: "Officials have dismantled a sex trafficking ring in central Mexico which reportedly smuggled teenage girls to the US, where they were forced to work as prostitutes." read more