Mexico: enforced disappearances under NGO’s scrutiny

TRIAL, along with eight associations from Mexico and Central America, has submitted a report (available in Spanish too)  to the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances(CED).

It aims at reminding Mexico of its legal obligation under the International Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. Even though the State is party to this treaty since 2008, it is yet to adopt a number of measures to fully implement it. Consequently, enforced disappearances continue to be perpetrated.

As much remains to be done, the report highlights the following weaknesses in Mexico’s legal framework:

• no adequate criminal legal framework to prevent and punish enforced disappearance has been adopted
• no unified database on disappeared persons exists to facilitate investigations as well as access to justice and reparations
• families of disappeared migrants face considerable obstacles and are denied the status of victims
• the lack of effective legal cooperation and mutual assistance between Mexico and neighboring countries

TRIAL calls on the CED to prompt Mexico to adopt effective measures to tackle this issue without further delay.