Leaders | Mexico’s shame

Staggering numbers of Mexicans are vanishing. Here’s how to save them

End the war on drugs, and investigate disappearances properly

The mother of missing Osvaldo Javier Hernandez holds a sign with his photo during a demo to demand the government to find him and other missing people, at the Glorieta de Los Desaparecidos (Roundabout of the Disappeared), in Guadalajara, Jalisco state, Mexico, on May 10, 2022, during Mother´s Day. (Photo by Ulises Ruiz / AFP) (Photo by ULISES RUIZ/AFP via Getty Images)

The numbers would be shocking in a war-torn dictatorship, let alone a peaceful democracy. In May Mexico’s official tally of missing people exceeded 100,000. That cumulative total does not include those who have subsequently been found, either alive or dead. Some 52,000 unidentified corpses lie in morgues across the country. Hardly any cases result in justice for the victims or their families.

This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Mexico’s shame”

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