Data cross-checking improves searches for missing persons in Mexico. About 50 thousand possible coincidences have been achieved.

El Siglo de Torreón January 29th, 2023

Due to the massive crossing of data between government information databases, about 50,000 possible coincidences have been achieved in the National Registry of Missing and Unlocated Persons (RNPDNO), according to Javier Yankelevich, an official of the National Search Commission.

It is an almost archaeological work, said the head of the Search Operations Directorate in an interview broadcast by the project “Where the disappeared go” obtained by the newspaper Reforma, including varied records, which is giving already results. “I think it’s essential to understand that part of the disappearance problem in Mexico is a data problem,” he said, “there are, various difficulties in crossing information”.

He explained that many databases that could contain information about missing persons do not have a dictionary — a key document for understanding what the database includes — and are not standardized, so they cannot be easily shared between institutions.

The team led by Yankelevich, consults multiple sources and databases – ranging from papers scribbled by gravediggers to institutional computer systems with millions of records – to find missing people, dead or alive.

Indications have emerged from different sources. Since the creation of the project in 2020, the Mass Graves Module has been crossed with the RNPDNO seven times, and thus more than 800 coincidences have been identified. This is only the beginning, he says, of a case-by-case evaluation process.

To read complete article in Spanish:

https://www.elsiglodetorreon.com.mx/noticia/2023/cruce-de-datos-mejora-busquedas-de-desaparecidos-en-mexico.html

Nosomosexpedientes.mx ‘We are not files’, an auxiliary platform for relatives of missing persons.

Redacción Aristegui Noticias 18 Jan, 2023 16:19

The digital portal works as a “guide or a manual” for people with missing relatives, said María Luisa Aguilar, of the Prodh Center. The Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez Human Rights Center presented a digital platform called Nosomosexpedientes.mx to help relatives of the disappeared.

The digital space was promoted by members of collectives, the deputy representative of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Mexico (OHCHR), and developed by VIRK. At a press conference, María Luisa Aguilar of the Prodh Center described the digital portal as a “guide or a manual” for relatives searching for disappeared persons who follow up on their complaints to the Prosecutors’ office.

The digital portal seeks to promote the search and investigation actions of the families of disappeared persons in Mexico with legal tools and valuable information so that they can follow up on their investigation files. The platform aims to help family members and provide them with practical guidance on the actions they can take before the law enforcement agencies in Mexico. It is also the result of the questions and experiences that different groups searching for disappeared persons have shared through the organization’s popular education spaces.

The Prodh Center confirmed that the collective processes driven by families generate the most outstanding results. In this context, Nosomosexpedientes.mx aims to help promote important actions that must be carried out in any disappearance investigation, making creative use of digital tools available to those who have a mobile device.

To read the complete note in Aristegui Noticias:

https://aristeguinoticias.com/1801/mexico/no-somos-expedientes-una-plataforma-auxiliar-para-familiares-con-personas-desaparecidas/

Photo: Aristegui Noticias

“Ruido” (Noise) a film that shows what relatives of the disappeared live in Mexico

Editorial ABC news Mexico City, January 12, 2023

The film can be found on the Netflix streaming platform starring Julieta Egurrola. Disappearances in Mexico are an issue that seems to have no end and leaves thousands of families between pain and uncertainty. Because of that situation, Natalia Beristáin wanted to narrate in her film “Ruido” (Noise) the experience of the relatives of all the disappeared.

The film premiered at the Morelia International Film Festival at the end of October, and since then, it has had good reviews.

What is ‘Ruido’ about? The film shows the drama that relatives experience when an enforced disappearance occurs and what they must live through for the authorities to give them an “answer.”

“Ruido” focuses on Julia, a woman desperately searching for her daughter, who disappeared while on vacation with friends. After nine months, the authorities do not give progress in the case, which forces the woman to search for herself. Natalia Beristáin explained that was the reason for filming this movie.

“Having the opportunity to return to the state where we shot the film and introduce the work done not only to all the people who worked on the production but especially to the families that integrate the Voz y Dignidad collective (as well as representatives of five other search collectives from different states of the country) has been one of the most powerful experiences in my professional life. The presentation of the film a few days ago was a powerful reminder of why we made this movie”.

She added: “Mexico is traversed by violent and brutal stories marking the lives of families torn apart by disappearances. From there, we made this film, and we want to expand a noise as attractive and inspiring, as annoying and uncomfortable, that weaves ties within society to change a national reality that aggravates us. It is about keeping in mind the power of the collective in the search for truth, justice and memory.”

To read article in Spanish:

https://abcnoticias.mx/tendencia/2023/1/12/ruido-pelicula-que-muestra-lo-que-viven-familiares-de-desaparecidos-en-mexico-179586.html

Starting 2023, there are 109,743 missing and unlocated people in Mexico

INFORMADOR By: SUN. January 7th, 2023

The National Search Commission has registered 27,409 missing and unlocated women nationwide, while 81,593 are missing men.

Seven days into 2023, there are 109,743 missing and not located people nationwide, according to information from the National Search Commission, with a cut to January 7. Last Friday, the body of dermatologist María del Carmen Cruz Segovia was located in Tamaulipas; in that state, there are 12 thousand 469 missing people, according to figures released on the website of the Commission. The case was announced through social networks, and one of the collectives that disseminated the disappearance file is the Tamaulipas Feminist Front. María del Carmen disappeared on December 28 when she was driving her car to the viewpoint of the Altas Cumbres ejido to enjoy the scenery and walk; however, only her car was found there.

UN Women points out that “forced disappearances in Mexico constitute one of the main violations against human rights” and emphasizes that 25% of disappeared persons are women. This information is from November 2022.

It also recognizes the efforts of collectives and organizations “mothers get organized in their communities to defend the right of the disappeared to be sought and who fight for the truth and justice in each case.” The National Search Commission has registered 27,409 missing and unlocated women nationwide, while 81,593 are missing men.

Another case is Lariza Skarlet Opón Velázquez, a 16-year-old girl who disappeared on December 22 in San Mateo Oxtotitlán, and dozens of people joined in her search in Toluca. In the capital of the State of Mexico, a caravan of cars integrated by drivers from a digital transportation platform intensified their search with relatives. Lariza was last seen by her mother when “she went to the store and didn’t come back.”

To read complete article in Spanish:

https://www.informador.mx/mexico/Desaparecidos-en-Mexico-Suman-109-mil-743-personas-desaparecidas-y-no-localizadas-en-Mexico-20230107-0033.html