My tears fell silently as I heard a group of strangers talk about the personal, unrelenting pain that comes from having a family member forcibly disappeared.
Hours before I had been driving along scenic roads that connect Mexico City with the southern state of Guerrero. The contrast could not have been starker. I found myself here after joining a delegation from Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights tasked with visiting some of the most violent areas in Mexico and collecting the stories of those affected by forced disappearances and criminal impunity.
Our delegation heard from Civil Society Organizations consisting of families, reporters, and activists affected by the atrocities brutalizing the region– rapes, killings, disappearances, and threats to their land and daily lives. These voices came from small towns like Ixtapa and well-known areas like Acapulco. We convened at a community center, where men and women of all ages shared their pain over food and drink. It struck me then - civility continues to exist even as many experience a life of unimaginable adversity. They are fearless.
The roughly 50 attendees, some of who traveled three hours to have their voices heard faced economic struggles that are invisible to those in power. They shared their stories in front of friends, strangers and camcorders. Our delegation faced these incredible survivors as they balanced their pain with hope - hope that we would shine a light on the indiscriminate violence plaguing their communities.
Their somber demeanor and quiet dignity was the most powerful of statements. Mexican government officials at every level continue to turn a deaf ear and blind eye to their experiences. It is appalling. It seems they have a soulless government, filled with officials who collude with criminal cartels, which cannot or will not find the time, the resources, or the motivation to protect innocent people, and prosecute criminals.
I could see the recognition and light of hope in their eyes when they met Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights President Kerry Kennedy. As we know, the Kennedy name is respected well beyond the borders of the United States. It has inspired people all over the world to fight for a better and more just society, whether in Mississippi or Mexico. This work continues as Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights fights for equality and a more peaceful world for all. The many present were testimony to the power of that ongoing work.
Our delegation shared stricken glances as we learned of the horrific crimes against the people of Guerrero. One young student dreamed of becoming a teacher. Instead, the ransom call her mother received demanded an impossible sum, far beyond her means. As the mother begged from one end of the phone, her tormenter promised to deliver her daughter’s head to her door.
We heard from a father whose son took a job at a local store, only to be shot to death by the local drug cartel in an extortion attempt. This father fought back tears as he shared the experience of holding his son in the last moments of his life. He had been able to get to the hospital before his son died, and counted it a blessing that he could hold him one last time.
An indigenous mother of six told of her husband, imprisoned by the government for mobilizing a local protest group. He used his voice to demand a better life for his community, and found persecution instead. She is left to raise her children with no reliable income, facing ridicule because her family has no food or clothing. What food she can find goes to her children. As hard as she tries, this young woman is unable to find employment.
She still fears the men who arrested her husband will come for her next.
These heart-wrenching experiences leave open wounds. An apathetic government ignores these cases, and the living that are left behind become victims as well. Families risk their lives and livelihoods to conduct their own search for evidence of their disappeared loved ones. They perform the job a functioning state should perform.
As our gathering concluded, after all the stories were shared, our group was again touched as we received the warmth, smiles and loving gestures of those who had just spoken with us. Their bravery left me humbled and eager to be a voice for change, to bring their circumstances to broader light. Compassion does exist, but awareness is a greater challenge. I am writing for those in forced invisibility.
Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights stands in solidarity with the families and local activists to ensure lasting positive change in governments and corporations. Joining the organization on this delegation gives me hope that those without voices may now be heard. I hope that sharing this story will inspire others to learn and speak out about this unprecedented situation. We must use every available means to advocate for lasting change in Mexico.