(MENAFN- Swissinfo) Switzerland is providing training in forensics to Mexican officials who are attempting to solve cases of enforced disappearances in the Latin American country. Behind these cases are stories of loss and determination for thousands of grieving mothers. Ceci Patricia Flores is one of them.

This content was published on November 23, 2023 - 09:00 2 minutes Patricia Islas , Julie Hunt , Geraldine Wong Sak Hoi Patricia Islas and Julie Hunt (video), Geraldine Wong Sak Hoi (text)

• Deutsch de Mexiko: Die verzweifelte Suche einer Mutter nach den verschwundenen Söhnen Read more: Mexiko: Die verzweifelte Suche einer Mutter nach den verschwundenen Söhnen
• Italiano it Messico, l'angoscia e la determinazione della ricerca dei figli scomparsi Read more: Messico, l'angoscia e la determinazione della ricerca dei figli scomparsi
• Español es La angustiosa búsqueda de una madre por sus desaparecidos en México Read more: La angustiosa búsqueda de una madre por sus desaparecidos en México
• Português pt A busca de uma mãe pelo filho desaparecido no México Read more: A busca de uma mãe pelo filho desaparecido no México

Every day Flores heads out with several other relatives of the disappeared onto the desert-like terrain of Sonora in northwestern Mexico, a shovel at the ready in case they see signs of a clandestine grave and need to start digging.

Together they make up the Searching Mothers of Sonora, started by Flores after two of her sons were disappeared. Hers is just one of over 200 collectives across Mexico – made up in large part of mothers – looking for missing loved ones and demanding answers from the authorities.

“Every day we suffer the anguish of not knowing where [our children] are and having to walk around different parts of the country, even digging with our own hands,” says Flores.

Pressure from families

The work carries enormous risk. Often the areas where they're searching are controlled by organised criminal groups, thought to be behind many disappearances. In the last two years alone, at least half a dozen searching mothers have been killed in Mexico.

More More 'Hope never dies': Swiss help Mexicans tackle enforced disappearances

This content was published on Nov 23, 2023 Switzerland is offering training in forensics to Mexican officials involved in searching for, and identifying, victims of enforced disappearances.

Read more: 'Hope never dies': Swiss help Mexicans tackle enforced disappearances

Yet it is thanks to the determination of these families that any reckoning with the country's enforced disappearances has taken place, says Ana Srovin Coralli, a researcher at the Geneva Graduate Institute. The landmark General Law on Disappearances, she points out, was largely the result of pressure and lobbying by families, civil society and international organisations. The law, in force since 2018, led to the creation of a national search system and special prosecutors' offices to handle enforced disappearances.

But the road ahead is long. As of August 2021, more than 52,000 unidentified bodies lie in state morgues, a backlog that Coralli says would, according to estimates, take more than 120 years to clear.

Edited by Virginie Mangin

Articles in this story

• 'Hope never dies': Swiss help Mexicans tackle enforced disappearances

Series Sharing Swiss forensic expertise abroad

• Episode 1: 1. One mother's anguished search for the disappeared in Mexico (video)
• Episode 2: 2. 'Hope never dies': Swiss help Mexicans tackle enforced disappearances
• Episode 3: 3. Why legal medicine in Africa needs a boost

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