Posted on August 24, 2003

International Affairs/Development

Over the last decade, hundreds of young women disappeared from the cities of Juárez and Chihuahua in northern Mexico near the U.S. border, until their murdered bodies turned up in the desert days, weeks, and years later. An investigation by Amnesty International found that some 370 young women have been murdered, and at least 137 were sexually assaulted before their death. AI's report on the situation, Mexico: Intolerable Killings (17 pages, HTML), asserts that the Mexican authorities have failed to adequately respond to the murders of young women who are mostly low-wage workers with little power in society. The report documents unjustified delays in initial efforts to locate missing women, inadequate forensic examinations, and failure to follow up on crucial evidence and witness statements. AI secretary-general Irene Khan released the report before her recent trip to Mexico, where she lobbied for more investigations and a larger role in the effort by federal authorities.