Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Mexico City (Agenzia Fides) - In Mexico 41 children disappear every day. According to UNICEF, over the past 5 years over 75 000 children have gone missing, of whom about 20 000 are victims of traffickers. In the period 2009-2011 70% disappearances were registered, resulting from the migration to the United States or in the involvement of minors in criminal organizations due to lack of jobs and opportunities. Currently there is no federal structure that records disappearances in the country, and local authorities together with politicians and the entire society must act together to respond in a responsible manner. Among the various initiatives proposed are the revision of the Federal Penal Code, the Law for the protection of minors, and others targeted to prevent children being taken away, to aggravate the punishment of the guilty, and to provide a more complete answer to the families of victims.
Children and adolescents are the preferred victims for organized crime, because they do not oppose resistance, they do not know where to turn for help, they and their families are threatened. The competent authorities must organize themselves to establish a procedure for the immediate search of the child that is being reported missing in shopping malls, businesses or government offices, buildings, property and lots, and immediately begin the security protocol, order the control and the closure of access areas of the site until the discovery of the child. Moreover, the prosecutor upon receipt of the complaint of disappearance should immediately take the necessary safety measures and not wait for the search terms currently imposed. Otherwise, victims can apply for administrative and criminal sanctions for omission. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 03/01/2012)
