Mothers of 'Disappeared' Women in Mexico

Who/What: With the widespread corruption of authorities in Mexico due in large part to the influence of drug cartels, women have often been disproportionately caught in the crossfire as victims of kidnapping, trafficking and murder. This topic involves mainly young women and girls as victims, usually but not always younger than 30. Older women are also involved as the protesters of these crimes, having formed a coalition based upon their identities as mothers.

When/Where: The movement is currently ongoing, having gained strength in recent years, but it first began to gain traction following the 'dirty war' in Mexico in the 1980s in which people began to be 'disappeared' on a larger scale. These protests are mostly if not completely situated in Mexico.

Why: These mothers focus upon their identities as mothers in order to appeal to the Mexican consciousness, which views young women who are perceived to be 'immoral' (such as sex workers, who are often victims of the aforementioned crimes) unfavorably and mothers more positively. This has created a complex dialogue about morality and protest, with protesters weighing the effectiveness of mothers' protests versus the perpetuation of the attitudes about gender which made it necessary to protest in the first place-- as well as potential abandonment of victims who may not have mothers willing to protest for them.

Proof of Identity: The book Making a Killing: Femicide, Free Trade, and La Frontera by Alicia Gaspar de Alba and Georgina Guzmán goes into mothers' involvement in protests against the epidemic of womens' deaths in Mexico in detail, as well as the analysis surrounding their involvement.