An urgent call in the face of the crisis of disappearances in Mexico
In the context of a deep humanitarian crisis that registers more than 133,552 missing people in the country, Amnesty International (AI) has issued a formal and structured position addressed to the Mexican State. The non-governmental organization demands the explicit recognition of the right to search by the relatives of victims of forced disappearance and disappearances committed by private individuals. This approach does not dilute, but rather emphasizes, the primary and inescapable obligation of the state apparatus to conduct effective investigations. The argument is based on a rigorous analysis of the gap between the regulatory framework and institutional practice, which frequently leaves families in a state of helplessness and extreme vulnerability.
The state deficiency and the emergency of autonomous search
During work tables convened by the federal government to analyze the approved search and investigation protocols, the head of research at AI México, Norma González Benítez, precisely explained the central paradox. Although the State has, in theory, the resources, capabilities and access to information to lead investigations, its intervention is usually deficient, prolonged or non-existent. This chronic omission forces family groups to assume the dangerous task of searching on their own. González Benítez explained that this effort implies a significant human and material cost: families mobilize their own resources for transportation, acquire tools such as shovels and pickaxes, and expose themselves to entering high-risk areas, frequently controlled by criminal groups, thus compromising their lives and physical integrity.
Amnesty International’s analysis identifies two clearly differentiated scenarios. The first, ideal, where family members participate in search processes led and coordinated by the authorities. The second, which reflects the most common reality, where families are forced to carry out autonomous search tasks. The organization is emphatic in pointing out that this second scenario does not exempt the State from its duty to protect. On the contrary, it intensifies it. The lack of legal recognition of these actions aggravates the situation, since on numerous occasions the authorities not only fail to provide protection, but also hold searchers responsible for the risks they face, arguing that their actions do not align with official procedures.
Search as an exercise of fundamental rights
AI’s position transcends mere operational criticism and is rooted in a human rights framework. The organization argues, based on international instruments, that when searching for a missing relative, people directly exercise their right to the truth and access to justice. Search is not just an emotional response to the information void; constitutes an act of demanding the right to know the whereabouts and fate of the disappeared person. Therefore, hindering or not protecting this exercise constitutes an additional violation of the rights of indirect victims.
Consequently, the specific proposal presented at the dialogue tables is the express inclusion of the recognition of self-initiated searches within the Approved Protocol for the Search for Missing and Unlocated Persons. This recognition must be conceptualized as a legitimate form of social participation, without implying a transfer of responsibilities. At the same time, the State must guarantee minimum conditions for its safe exercise: refrain from preventing or hindering searches, make relevant institutions available, activate protection mechanisms when the integrity of searchers is at risk, diagnose their specific needs and create ways for their prompt attention. The implementation of these measures would represent tangible progress towards an approach of informed co-responsibility focused on human rights.
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