At least two hundred people are kidnapped in Mexico every day

No one knows the real number but according to some estimates, at least 200 kidnaps are perpetrated in Mexico every day. It was also revealed that for each of these crimes reported to authorities , there are at least other 9 cases that go unreported , as those affected opt to stay silent and not risk the life of their family member. This is known as the black number.

The National Victimization Survey 2018 , released by the Inegi, reveals that the perception of this crime among the population has permeated all social classes, where no one feels immune. In 2018 , over 81,000 people reported being the victim or hearing about a kidnap in their close circle, a number that exceeds the 1,400 official investigations and files opened last year.

Also, besides kidnaps as we know it, in Mexico there are other types of kidnap such as express kidnaps , when the victim is kidnapped for a few hours and later released; false kidnaps , when criminals know that the victim is not home, criminals lie to their family members by claiming they kidnapped them, and kidnap threats to extort the victims, who pay in order to prevent a kidnap.

Until the 80s , kidnaps usually took place against victims who were studied by the criminals for months and only after they knew they would obtain a large sum of money to release the victim. Also during that time, there were other types of kidnaps , such as the political one perpetrated by guerrilla groups to achieve certain purposes: obtain financial resources and punish a capitalist system they blame for the poverty that affects the country, since they mostly kidnapped business leaders from the industry sector but things started to change when the criminals added more victims to their catalog and started to consider small business owners, professional s, and people who were just passing by as potential victims .

Until the justice system makes it easier for victims to file lawsuits , kidnap numbers will never be reliable. Meanwhile, if society still considers that filling a lawsuit is a waste of time, the opportunity to understand the criminals' modus operandi is lost, as well as the possibility of implementing strategies to fight this crime . This is why it is so important to speak up.

Women face kidnap attempts in Mexico City's Metro

gm