Sat Sep 14 10:35:59 UTC 2024: ## Mothers Take Justice into Their Own Hands as Mexico’s Disappearances Crisis Deepens

**Ecatepec, Mexico** – Veronica Rosas, a mother from Ecatepec, Mexico, has spent nine years searching for her son, Diego Maximiliano, who vanished at the age of 16 in 2015. Her story is a testament to the growing crisis of disappearances in Mexico, where thousands of families are left searching for loved ones with little support from the authorities.

According to official figures, at least 115,000 people have disappeared in Mexico since 1952, with the actual number believed to be far higher. While government repression was the primary cause during the country’s “dirty war” in the 1970s, organized crime and drug cartels have become the main perpetrators in recent decades.

Rosas’ experience is a common one. After initial trust in the authorities failed to yield results, many families like hers take the search into their own hands. They distribute flyers, search morgues, prisons, and even neighborhoods where homeless people gather, desperate for any clue.

Frustrated by the lack of action from the government, Rosas founded the organization Uniendo Esperanzas (Gathering Hopes) in 2018. This group provides mutual support for families searching for missing loved ones. Similar initiatives have sprung up across the country in places like Sonora and Jalisco.

While President Andres Manuel López Obrador and his successor-in-waiting, Claudia Sheinbaum, claim to have lowered homicide rates, families like Rosas are skeptical. The recent case of a mother finding her son dead at a morgue, despite her tireless efforts to get information about his disappearance, highlights the ongoing frustration and anger toward the government’s response.

Adding to the despair, many religious leaders have been reluctant to offer solace and support to these grieving mothers. However, a few faith leaders, including Catholic Bishop Javier Acero, have stepped up, offering guidance and solace. They hold Mass to remember the disappeared and advocate for change in the face of the government’s inaction.

Rosas, however, found a sense of community and hope in the ecumenical group, The Axis of Churches. Methodist, evangelical, Indigenous spiritual leaders, theologians, and feminists within the group have provided constant support, offering prayers, meals, and simply a listening ear.

Despite the bleak reality, these mothers hold onto the hope of finding their loved ones alive. As Rev. Arturo Carrasco, an Anglican priest who supports families with missing members, says: “We have the legitimate hope of finding our treasures alive… But as long as we have no evidence of that, we will keep searching.”

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