Mexico Accused of Human Rights Abuses in Amnesty International Report

While Mexico’s government has blasted the state of Arizona for passing Senate bill 1070, a report from Amnesty International accuses Mexico of human rights abuses against illegal immigrants passing through their country.

While Mexico is busy protesting Arizona’s anti-illegal immigrant law, Amnesty International says abuse by Mexican authorities against illegals traveling through Mexico on their way to the United States is a major human rights crisis.

The report cites the failure of authorities to tackle abuses against migrants from Central America.  The report says crimes against immigrants in Mexico include beatings, rapes and murders.

Mexico’s interior department has acknowledged the problem, but blames it on criminal gangs. The report cites the failure of Mexican authorities to tackle abuses against migrants from Central America.

Every year, tens of thousands of women, men and children travel through Mexico without legal permission as undocumented migrants. More than nine in every 10 are Central Americans, mostly from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras or Nicaragua.

The vast majority are headed for the US border in the hope of new life far from the poverty they have left behind. Their journey is one of the most dangerous in the world.

The Mexican government faces major challenges in dealing with violent organized criminal networks. Since 2007, according to the media, more than 15,000 people have been killed in gang-related violence in Mexico and hundreds of people have been kidnapped.

Managing migration controls on Mexico’s lengthy borders and addressing abuses against irregular migrants require substantial logistical and financial resources as well as tackling transnational issues such as Central American criminal gangs operating in parts of Mexico.

However, the report shows that whatever the public security demands faced by federal and state authorities, the Mexican government has an obligation to promote, respect and ensure the human rights of all, including irregular migrants.

Amnesty International’s research indicates that, despite such steps, abuses against irregular migrants continue to be a low priority for many state and federal authorities, especially if there is no clear evidence that state officials are directly implicated.

In many cases that would appear at first glance to be the work solely of criminal gangs, there is evidence that state officials are involved at some level, either directly or as a result of complicity and acquiescence.

The report focuses specifically on abuses against migrants largely by criminal gangs who are frequently assisted, either directly or by omission, at some level by public officials.  These abuses, although widespread, are almost never reported.

The report also focuses on the failure of Mexico to ensure effective prevention, detection, investigation, punishment and redress for these abuses, thereby creating a climate of neglect and impunity.

The report ends with a series of recommendations to the Mexican authorities to comply with their international responsibilities in order to ensure respect, protection and fulfillment of the rights of undocumented migrants in transit in Mexico.

The Americano / Agencies

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