Olga Castillo’s daughter, Selena Guadalupe García Castillo, disappeared in Tijuana in February 2020. A group of men took her and her boyfriend, who she lived with at the time. Castillo is among the many families searching for their loved ones in Mexico, where over 128,000 people are currently missing, according to a recent report by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

A Humanitarian Crisis

The report breaks down the disappeared into several groups, including men and boys recruited by criminal organizations, women and girls who are victims of gender-based violence, human trafficking victims, migrants, and victims of hate crimes. Castillo believes her daughter may have been sold, and she has lost faith in the police and the government, now investigating on her own.

The commission urged Mexico to take more preventive measures to stop disappearances by addressing the root causes of violence and holding accountable those who kidnap or kill. Many family members of the disappeared do not trust the government’s efforts due to delays in investigations and lack of results, leading to high impunity rates.

Castillo and other madres buscadoras, or searching mothers, have banded together to support one another in their search for answers. They travel to other states, passing out flyers and seeking information about their missing loved ones.

Castillo hopes that people will have empathy for each other and come forward with any information about her daughter, even anonymously. She prays for her daughter’s safe return and for an end to the humanitarian crisis in Mexico.

Original reporting: Voice of San Diego — read the source article.