Groups of mothers searching for their missing children, activists, human rights defenders and the general public demonstrated this Wednesday, May 10, in Mexico City for the more than 110,000 missing people in the country.
The disappearances are contextualized in the violence that plagues the country and that began with the beginning of the so-called "War on Drugs" that began during the administration of Felipe Calderón, which, in addition to the disappearances, has left people killed and communities displaced.
"I gave birth to my son to life and he gave birth to me to the struggle. Carlos, wherever you are, I love you, son. I continue to fight," shouted into the microphone Lourdes Mejía, mother of Carlos Sinuhé Cuevas Mejía, a student at the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters of the UNAM, assassinated on October 11, 2011.
In addition to denouncing that government authorities do not do their job and even hinder investigations, Mrs. Lourdes Mejía denounced that other groups such as the United Nations Organization only assist in the activities carried out by the searching mothers without really supporting or committing to anything.
"Why are you asking me for my phone number?! So that you can kill another of my relatives?!" Lorena Gutiérrez shouted at the UN staff who were at the Angel of Independence rally.
The UN members, wearing blue vests, looked tensely at the people gathered around them, summoned by the fury of Lorena Gutiérrez, whose complaints could be heard several metres away, while the rally continued to develop.
Gutiérrez claims that her daughter Fátima Quintana was the victim of a femicide on February 5, 2015. However, due to the fight she undertook against the perpetrators, she suffered serious death threats that forced her and her family to move to Monterrey.
In 2020, her son Daniel died due to negligence on the part of state health authorities who denied him medical care because he did not have any type of social security, precisely because he was a displaced family.
"I am a public figure, they could find me if they wanted, but coincidentally after we give our data to organizations, they persecute us," Lorena denounced.
Coming from states as far away as Chihuahua or Tamaulipas, but also from states bordering Mexico City such as Morelos or the State of Mexico, dozens of mothers reported the disappearance of their sons and daughters.
"May 10 is not a day for celebration, it is a day for struggle and protest," shouted some of those attending the demonstration.
Since at least 2016, groups of searching mothers have decided to take to the streets on May 10 to remind the government and society that not all mothers, nor all children, can celebrate the day, but rather are in the midst of the collective pain that comes with not knowing where their children are.
In some cases, especially those that occurred many years ago, mothers no longer search for their sons and daughters who are still alive, but have resigned themselves to finding the remains of their relatives.
This is the case of Mary Velázquez, mother of Pamela Gallardo, who disappeared in 2017 near Ajusco. Because of this, on the 23rd and 24th, Velázquez and various organizations and activists will carry out a citizen search to find Pamela and other victims of disappearance.
Faced with the authorities, who are at best incapable and at worst negligent and complicit, the families have to take on the tasks of investigation and search without receiving a single peso, the mother who searched for the child complained.
"We have an open investigation, but these authorities are asking us as a family to continue to provide evidence for the investigation. We have to provide the evidence, the investigation, and the direction we want the investigation to take," Mary Velázquez stressed.
Velázquez's is not the only search underway; more will be carried out in the State of Mexico and Morelos over the next few weeks.
But, despite everything, this May 10th their bet is not on pain, because their trench continues to be the courage to denounce injustices and to point the finger directly at the guilty.
Mothers, givers of life, now seem to be seekers of death, for they know that they will undoubtedly find remains of people on the missions they organize.
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