Mothers of missing people, along with relatives and activists, marched in protest through downtown Mexico City on Mother’s Day. The marchers expressed anger over the government’s lack of interest in investigating the disappearances of over 100,000 missing people in Mexico. They carried banners with photos of missing individuals and chanted slogans demanding to know the whereabouts of their loved ones. The march took place shortly after the bodies of three foreigners were found in Baja California state, highlighting the disparity in search efforts for missing persons.
Many mothers, like Maria del Carmen Ayala Vargas, whose son went missing in 2021, have been searching for their children for years without any progress from the government. Ayala Vargas emphasized the need for an energetic and thorough search for all missing persons, regardless of their nationality. In contrast to the quick discovery of the three foreigners’ bodies, many Mexican mothers face challenges in finding their missing children, with cases remaining unsolved for years. Despite the pain of others finding closure, these mothers continue their search for their loved ones.
The recent case of Australian and American surfers who were allegedly killed by car thieves in Baja California received swift attention from authorities, leading to the discovery of their bodies in a remote well. However, for many Mexican mothers like Martha de Alejandro Salazar, who has been searching for her son for 14 years, the government’s response has been inadequate. The lack of progress in cases of missing persons is a common concern among marchers, who feel neglected by authorities in their quest for answers.
During the Mother’s Day march, some of the anger was directed towards President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, whose administration has focused more on falsely listed missing individuals than on investigating grave sites. The mothers, who take investigative work into their own hands, feel the government does not prioritize the search for missing persons. Yolanda Morán, a mother searching for her son abducted in 2008, criticized López Obrador’s absence from the issue and vowed to continue the search despite her failing health.
The march coincided with the administration’s controversial accusation of the press and volunteer searchers engaged in the search for missing persons. State-run television aired a segment accusing these individuals of “necrophilia” for reporting on a suspected clandestine crematorium. The marchers denounced the government’s attempt to minimize the issue of disappearances and called for a more serious and compassionate approach. Despite facing challenges and obstacles in their search, the mothers remain determined to find their missing loved ones and hold the authorities accountable for their lack of action.
