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This Friday, August 30 marked the International Day of Victims of Enforced Disappearances. Hundreds of relatives of victims gathered in front of the National Palace in Mexico City to demand more action from the government to find their missing.
With our correspondent in Mexico, Alix Hardy
They lost a parent, a brother, a child. Each year, the relatives of the disappeared are mobilized so that their ordeal is not forgotten . The son of Arturo Flores was abducted in 2009 in Piedras Negras, in the north of the country.
" All I want is to find my son," says the father. I feel helpless. During these ten years of research, we were strolled by the authorities, who did nothing, nothing, to help us. "
Faced with the inaction of the authorities, the families of the victims seek their loved ones themselves, whatever the cost, recalls Grace Fernandez, whose brother disappeared four years ago.
" The life project of all those who seek their loved ones is totally destroyed, " she insists. One must become a lawyer, psychologist, expert, medical examiner, legislator ... While it was not really what was planned. "
40,000 missing Mexicans
The coming to power of President Lopez Obrador last year has given hope to some. The Head of State listened attentively to the demands of families and announced new measures . But the road remains long, warns Grace Fernandez.
" He did not come with a magic wand, " she says. Yes, there is work being done, but it remains a state subject and it must be treated by all institutions at all levels. This is still far from the case. "
Families tirelessly continue to search for their missing. This year alone, 522 clandestine graves have been discovered in the country. In a country devastated by violence, the Mexican state counts 40,000 missing persons and nearly 27,000 anonymous bodies, who are still waiting to be identified.