Chihuahua, Chih., Mexico, August 29, 2021.- Within the framework of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, the Centro de Derechos Humanos de las Mujeres (CEDEHM) reiterates its commitment to the families of disappeared individuals and accompanies them in their demand for justice, truth and restitution.

According to the National Registry of Disappeared and Missing Persons (RNPDNO), more than 90 thousand people are listed as disappeared or missing in Mexico, and even though the state of Chihuahua doesn’t have any official figures, it is estimated that at least 3 thousand people are in this situation. This poses a significant problem for a country with public policies that are insufficient to face the immensity of this issue.

We demand that the State comply with its obligation to conduct efficient searches to find disappeared individuals, punish those responsible and repair the damage to the victims and their next of kin in a comprehensive manner, as well as to implement the necessary measures to ensure that the problem stops.

The search for disappeared individuals is a family right that the State must comply with even in adverse contexts, such as the ongoing pandemic; therefore, we urge the strengthening of the State Search Commission and the Investigation Units, so that they are provided with sufficient resources to carry out their obligations.

Furthermore, we demand coordination with municipal authorities to analyze cases, so any actions take into account the context of each region to face the issues jointly as a phenomenon that destroys the social fabric, and not as isolated cases.

In the context of the change of state administration that will soon take place, family groups and the organizations that accompany them demand full compliance with the victims’ right to be involved in creating, monitoring and adapting public policies in accordance with the provisions of the General Law on Enforced Disappearance by Individuals and the National Search System.

Furthermore, we emphasize the importance of the administration transition taking place as needed to prevent regression both in search and investigation and in family services.

Because we all miss disappeared individuals, we will not stop #UntilWeFindThem