• GROWTH: The number of female kidnapping victims in Mexico grew 24% in 2019, reaching a total of 410, according to estimates by Mexican non-governmental organization Alto Al Secuestro. Almost half of the kidnappings of women occurred in the states of Veracruz, Estado de México, and Mexico City.
• SHARE: Relying on official data along with reports from media and other sources, the numbers presented by Alto al Secuestro show that the share of female victims rose from 17.9% in 2018 to 21.7% in 2019. Around 90% of women victims suffered some sort of sexual violence.
• COMPLAINTS: “Unfortunately, almost none of them file a formal complaint, and we cannot blame them for not doing so. We blame the criminals who assault them, the justice system that fails them and the society that revictimizes them”, said NGO Alto al Secuestro in a press release.
• US CITIZENS: Among the five Mexican states where the US Department of State advises American citizens not to travel to, the northern state Tamaulipas is the only one out of five, where kidnapping for ransom is listed among the reasons why making trips to the state is unsafe.
