SCLC.- In a press release, the Melel Xojobal Civil Association stated that in the framework of the first edition of Datatón on childhood and adolescence in Mexico, 2023, it was announced that Chiapas occupies fourth place with the largest number of disappeared children and adolescents in the country, as shown by the data from the National Registry of Missing and Unlocated Persons (RNPDNO), which by 2022 recorded 849 cases of disappearance in Chiapas. Of that total, 45.5 percent were under 18 years of age.
In the meeting, in which the Melel Xojobal Civil Association participated, it was revealed that there is evidence of neglect in childhood and children continue to suffer invisibility and discrimination in the guarantee of their rights to be protected from disappearances in areas such as Chiapas, in addition to suffering from a lack of robust systems of care and response services to sexual violence.
In a statement, they announced that according to the Network for the Rights of Children and Adolescents in Chiapas (REDIAS), disappearances in that state are rarely recognized, and the information has been collected by the organization Melel Xojobal and analyzed along with REDIAS.
In the analysis, it was determined that the systematization of search files published by the State Prosecutor’s Office itself evidences an underreporting in the RNPDNO figures. From 2021 to 2022 in Chiapas, the disappearance of 1,171 girls, boys and adolescents has been reported.
“In the last year alone, an average of 45 disappearances per month were reported, with girls and adolescent women being the most affected group. From Melel Xojobal and REDIAS, it is considered essential to carry out a traiing campaign with local authorities on the Additional Protocol for the Search for Girls, Boys and Adolescents so that they know their responsibilities and the procedure to follow in the event of the disappearance of the child and adolescent population”, they say.
Likewise, they mention that in particular, the creation of training actions should be prioritized in the five municipalities that concentrate the largest number of cases: Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Tapachula, San Cristóbal, Comitán and Palenque.
“The Mexican State is part of the developing countries that are not yet prepared to protect children and adolescents. This is a global trend, as established by the Out of the Shadows Index, which assesses how 60 countries, home to approximately 85 percent of the world’s child population, prevent and respond to Sexual Exploitation and Violence against girls, boys and adolescents”, they conclude.
Original article by VANESA RODRÍGUEZ at https://www.sie7edechiapas.com/post/persiste-chiapas-en-el-4to-lugar-por-desaparici%C3%B3n-infantil-y-adolescente
Translated by Schools for Chiapas.