The Disappearing Women of Juarez and Chihuahua, Mexico: Femicide and the Struggle for Women\u27s Rights

In the past twenty years over 400 women in Juarez and Chihuahua Mexico have been murdered, and a countless number missing. These women were raped, beaten and then tossed on the side of the road, or in mass graves. The bodies were at times dismembered and or unrecognizable. I will argue that the Mexican government has failed to adequately investigate these crimes, and bring justice to the families of these women. Many organizations have been formed by family members of these victims and have brought national attention to the human rights violations that are taking place in Mexico. I have consulted the Historical Abstracts database to gather research about the prevalence of femicide in Mexico. In addition the documentary Missing Young Women, the NACLA Report On the Americas journal, CIP Americas online archives, and several books used as secondary sources, have all supported my argument. Government documents have revealed that laws that have been put into place to protect women, but legislation has not been enforced by the local police or military officials. The way in which the organized groups searching for their family members are treated has been an appalling discovery. Sometimes these individuals go missing themselves for bringing too much attention to the disappearances and murders. The Mexican government is taking extreme measures to allow these murders to continue without holding anyone accountable. The families of the victims will not give up until femicide in Mexico is put to an end