Everyday dozens of girls go missing in the Mexican city of Juarez, Chihuahua. They seem to just disappear with out a trace in site. No notes, no leads. Just mothers’ tears and fathers’ questions of what happened to their child.
Hundred of “Missing Women” flyers line the walls of Juarez buildings. They show the pictures and description of girls, ages fifteen to their early twenties.; Attempts of families trying to find answers.
One cannot help but wonder, where is the government in this mess? The corruption of the countries police force is quite evident, but still no justified excuse as to why so many innocent lives with so much potential are taken away, especially with no closure given to their families.
According to a report done by reporter Girish Gupta of New Statesman, since current Mexican president, Felipe Calderon took office in 2006 the number of women vanishing or being killed has risen. If the country’s president cannot come to the assistance of these young women, then surely this gives a reflection of the political state of the country.
Now, before I elaborate on this issue I would like to add a note about Mexico. It truly is a wonderful country with beautiful people, nature and culture. And this piece is in no way trying to tarnish the reputation of this country with rich history. I have nothing but admiration and respect for the people of Mexico. But the hard truth is that, like any country, there is corruption; A virus that is taking away valuable members of society. This “femicide” needs to stop. The women of Juarez deserve their dignity back, their protection back and the life God gave them.
The women kidnapped are presumed to be pressured to partake in sex trafficking then dumped. The mere fact that these women are low income and probably couldn’t afford a ransom doesn’t help their situation either. The government is allowing the impoverished to be taken advantage of. If the “strong” cannot even protect the “weak,” then surely the country cannot progress as a nation.
The truth is, the Mexican government needs to make a harder effort to protect their young female citizens and gain justice for the families of victims.
The victims tend to be slender with dark hair and dark eyes. The similar physical appearance among the missing girls is a clue. Anyone can see that a certain group is being targeted.
When will enough be enough for the police to wake up and recognize the gravity of this issue? In Mexico, as in any other country, there are drug problems and human trafficking, so if the government is trying to gain a better image for their country, it’s interesting to observe that they aren’t making a more valiant effort to try and find these women. To say that there are just too many missing to try and find them all is no valid reason. Neither is playing the blame game.
The Mexican Government blames the victims. They claim the young women are simply running away from home with their boyfriends. But I doubt the families of the 900 women that were captured, tortured and killed between 1993 and 2010 would have agreed with this reasoning.
Another theory police have is that there is a rapist on the lurk kidnapping women and killing them. Well I’m sure there are several, but for one man to kidnap 900 hundred is just too naïve of an idea.
According to the Juarez Project, an advocacy organization aimed at helping the women of Juarez, about 90 percent of the women who go missing are employed by sweatshops, otherwise known as the maquiladora sector. These factories export products to the United States, which is to be assumed because Juarez borders the Texas city of El Paso.
I think it’s safe to say that something inhumane is lurking around the streets of Juarez, more than just rapists. Let’s look at the bigger picture. Hundreds of women, with similar physical characteristics are going missing (and many found dead) in a town filled with drug cartel and human trafficking. And the police have the audacity to tell everyone that they don’t know what could have happened to these girls. Not one clue? The best they can come up with is that these girls, with dreams, goals, educations, are running away with their boyfriends? Give me a break. Justice is not being served. Someone is preying on the weak. And the authorities are not telling on that someone.
These women going missing are no coincidences. Someone is making a profitable business on these girls and they do not like how the community is starting to react. Advocacy groups have begun to emerge. These organizations are comprised of mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, aunts, and people who care about their fellow sisters whose stories deserve to be told.
Susan Chavez was a leader in the advocacy movement to push Juarez authorities to find out what is happening to all these women. Chavez was found murdered outside an abandoned house three months ago. This was such a loss to the people of Juarez that the police tried to keep her murder covered up to keep from causing unrest within the Juarez community. I think it’s fair to reason that there has been unrest since these women have begun to disappear.
Had the women all going missing been a coincidence, then no one would have targeted Chavez, a prominent advocate for the missing women and their families since the early 1990s. Gupta wrote in his article that Chavez, “ came up with the slogan, ‘Ni una muerte mas,” or, “Not one more death.” They wanted her silenced. She was an obstacle to them, another voice that had the potential to shed light on a “business” no one would speak about. There is no for sure answer as to what this “business” is, but whatever it is, it involves the lives of innocent women.
It’s hard to address a problem if its root cannot be located. Although authorities have very obvious leads to work with (i.e. drug cartels, human trafficking rings, etc…). Maybe they’re scared? Maybe they know, but fear for their lives? But what people do know is that the people of Juarez need to stand up for their protection and for the lives of their women. Maybe, just maybe, they can push the government to really do something for the innocent women who deserved to live. There can still be hope. There can still be prevention. Lessons can be learned, and in turn lives can be saved. Good always overcomes evil. The women of Juarez are forced to be slaves of fear, but now only the truth can set them free.
Human trafficking is such a perplexing issue because its "causes" are not clearly identifiable. Yes, as you mention, the government needs to undertake a greater effort to help remedy such abductions but what can be done to combat the underlying causes for the problem? I suspect at the heart of the issue is gender inequality. In countries (ours included) where women can be and often are reduced to objects, it seems logical this mentality lays the foundation for such acts to occur without much thought. Further, countries that lack stringent mechanisms to try and punish people who engage in human trafficking contribute to the problem globally. Meaning, its not just the burden of the country where the abduction occurs but also poses a greater international burden since human trafficking is necessarily an international enterprise. I wonder if this is a suitable arena for international criminal courts to get involved instead of just trying to hold host countries accountable.
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