For women like Lucía, founding member of Colectivo Solecito, the search for human remains in clandestine graves represents an opportunity to fulfil a promise made to her son, who disappeared in 2013 in the coastal state of Veracruz, Mexico.
The promise is that of not giving up until she finds him. In a country where the dividing line between organized crime and the government is often blurred, she has been pushed to participate in this kind of grim activity, while also dealing with negligent authorities and putting her safety at risk. Lucía's story has unique nuances and at the same time, it is the story of hundreds of women throughout the country who dedicate their lives to the search for missing persons in the absence of effective State responses.
In light of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, commemorated on August 30, this article seeks to highlight the leadership of the mothers, grandmothers, wives, sisters, and daughters of missing persons in Mexico. Such leadership has been essential for the development of the truth and justice agenda in the country, as well as for the fight against impunity. Using a feminist lens, our goal is to underline some of the specific challenges that women have faced while carrying out these efforts and to note some of the strategies that they have developed to respond to such challenges.
