- Disappearances are on the rise by gender condition, 55% of the complaints registered in Mexico correspond to girls and female adolescents.
- Mexico: Of 47 relatives of missing children surveyed, the 90% confessed that the authorities did not apply the AMBER alert.
- They warn about the increase in disappearances of minors, according to data from the National Search Commission of Mexico, until August 2020, 17,042 missing people from 0 to 17 years of age were reported.
According to a report by the International Red Cross, currently several countries in Latin America and the Caribbean do not have an updated registry of persons disappeared in armed conflicts, forced recruitment or others. According to the same report, in recent years, in Colombia 83 thousand complaints of disappeared persons were reported, Guatemala 45 thousand, Peru 20 thousand and Brazil 80 thousand (2017 data). [1]
In this context, with the objective of making visible the problem of missing children, the state's response to this problem, the initiative #TejiendoRedesInfancia from Latin America and the Caribbean; As part of the #NiñezPrimero strategy, it carried out the webinar: #NiñezDesaparecida How to confront this crime against humanity?
In dialogue, the experts emphasized the case of Mexico, this being the country with the highest number of missing persons; According to data from the National Search Commission of Mexico, until August of this year a total of 180,499 people were reported missing, not located and located. [2]
In this regard, Karla Quintana, representative of the National Commission for the Search of Persons in Mexico, stated that girls, boys, adolescents and young people are the most vulnerable sector to crimes such as forced disappearance, disappearance by individuals, trafficking in persons, abduction of minors or recruitment of organized groups.
Quintana added that in Mexico, about 20% of the reported disappearances correspond to girls and boys; However, he clarified that there are also unreported cases, a situation that makes it difficult to create a public policy for prevention. "It is important to have this information, understand the phenomena and identify patterns on the reasons why these disappearances are happening", manifested.
Likewise, Fernando, an adolescent researcher, pointed out that the gender issue is another factor that affects the increase in disappearances; He said that in Mexico of the 12,762 cases of missing girls, boys and adolescents, the 55% correspond to girls and female adolescents.
Similarly, according to a survey conducted by the adolescent researcher, revealed the 90% of 47 relatives of missing persons surveyed, he confessed not having received support from the authorities, such as the activation of the AMBER alert; Likewise, the 79% of this figure expressed that during the investigation the best interests of the child were not prioritized, nor was a gender and intercultural approach adopted.
"By not properly implementing the protocols and the poor performance of the authorities, the disappearance of girls and boys continues to grow exponentially, the pain of the families continues to increase and in most cases they are forced to carry out their own searches and investigations" .
Faced with this reality, the Coordinator of the #TejiendoRedesInfancia Initiative of Latin America and the Caribbean, Juan Martín Pérez García, made reference to the data of the National Search Commission of Mexico, where he indicates that from March 1964 to August 2020 there are 17,042 reports of missing persons from 0 to 17 years of age. [2]
In turn, Pérez stressed that the search for a disappeared person is a right; For this reason, the authorities must place greater emphasis on the application of search protocols, follow-up of cases, obtain accurate data and locate people. "Disappearance is a crime against humanity not only harms the person and their family, but also humanity as a whole (...) for this reason, it is important that the communities, the families of children and adolescents talk about the issue" .
[1] International Committee of the Red Cross / Disappeared in Latin America
[2] Government of Mexico / National Commission for the Search of Persons in Mexico
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Press contact: Verónica Morales, Regional Communication Officer / [email protected]
About:
#ChildhoodFirst It is a strategy that provides guidance for the care of children and adolescents in emergency situations.
#Weaving NetworksChildhood, is a project co-financed by the European Union that seeks to contribute to the strengthening and consolidation of a platform for the defense of children and adolescents in 19 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of Derechos Infancia Mexico AC / #TejiendoRedesInfancia and in no case should it be considered that it reflects the views of the European Union.
Image: Ehteshamul Haque Adit on Unsplash