Disappearances in Mexico increase, yet remain outside of state legislation

In the past five years, disappearances attributed to government institutions and criminal groups have increased in Mexico. Since December 1996, Mexico’s National Human Rights Commission has classified 5,397 people as “lost” or “absent”, with 500 of these disappearances originating in the state of Michoacan. While reliable statistics are difficult to establish and confirm, it remains clear that when this crime is reported, the authorities conduct little investigation, refuse to release information and family members of the disappeared are often left without support in uncovering the circumstances of the disappearance. As only nine of the 32 Mexican states have laws categorizing disappearance as a criminal offense, institutional accountability is further diminished, say nongovernmental organizations. Read Article