By Alfonso Aguilar
Herald Staff Writer
(From the issue of 11/6/03)

Nearly 200 people dressed in black took to the streets of Washington Saturday in a silent procession. They held pictures of some of the 500 Mexican women killed or who have disappeared in the state of Chihuahua, most of them in Ciudad Juárez.

Similar events took place in many cities in the United States, including Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Portland, as well as in several European nations.

"No more victims," read a black banner heading the Washington procession, which departed from the Organization of American States (OAS) and ended at the Embassy of Mexico.

"Justice for Our Daughters," read another banner held by two women, one of whom wore a red paper heart with the name "Silvia Arce."

"Silvia Arce is my daughter. She disappeared March 12, 1998. I am demanding that the Mexican government give an explanation of what happened to her and many hundreds more," said Evangelina Arce, as she led the Washington procession along with Indian women from the southern Mexican state of Chiapas.

The event was part of an International Day of Solidarity with the Victims of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, where, according to many reports, 268 women have been confirmed murdered and at least 250 more have disappeared in the last decade.

After 10 years of what has become an unimaginable epidemic, it is still a mystery who has been killing these young women.

The victims have been between the ages of 15 and 24, "and all the bodies found have been brutally raped, tortured and mutilated," states one letter from the D.C. Committee for the International Day of Solidarity with the Women of Juárez and Chihuahua.

"This epidemic of violence is unprecedented in Mexico, and most disturbing of all, the murders and disappearances continue."

The letter was sent to Washington Cardinal Theodore McCarrick in order to urge him to use his influence to encourage his counterparts in the Church, particularly in the Diocese of Chihuahua, to take stronger action against the epidemic.

"We implore you to communicate to your counterparts our extreme dismay over the worsening situation in the state of Chihuahua," reads the letter.

"We hope the Church in Chihuahua may become an advocate in this terrible situation."

Mary Jo Aagertstoun, an activist of the Washington Committee, confirmed during the procession that similar letters were sent to bishops around the world, from Los Angeles to New York, from Mexico to London, where silent processions took place last Friday, which coincided with the Day of the Dead in Mexico.

Under increasing domestic and international pressure criticizing the ineffectiveness of his government, Mexican President Vicente Fox recently named a prominent Mexican woman to coordinate all the investigations, and promised to allocate all the necessary resources to find and punish the perpetrators of this violence that has the international community in an uproar.

Even now, 10 years after the first group of crimes was reported, there are many theories as to why the women were killed, and no evidence of who is behind these horrendous crimes.

"The killers are people inside the government, protecting each other," said Arce as she spoke outside the Embassy of Mexico in Washington.

"We are tired of asking for justice. The government does not understand our suffering. The government has been ignoring our clamour for justice," she said.

"Please convey to the bishop of the Diocese of Chihuahua that the Church’s leadership, in promoting, healing and advocating for observation of internationally recognized standards of human rights, is sorely needed," read another part of the letter.

"The families of the victims need the strong support of their community of faith," concludes the letter. "We also hope the bishop will convey to the State of Chihuahua’s authorities his concern that all repressive activities, including surveillance of members of Justice for Our Daughters, cease immediately."