Mexico enacts law targeting disappearances

FILE: Enrique Pena Nieto Photo courtesy of World Economic Forum / Flickr.

MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s President Enrique Pena Nieto has signed a new law aimed at addressing the country’s staggering number of unsolved disappearances.

Mexico has more than 30,000 missing people, many victims of the country’s drug violence or corrupt security forces.

Advocates are hailing the law as a long-awaited start, but caution that the law’s implementation will be critical.

Roberto Campa is the Interior Department’s deputy secretary for human rights. He said Friday on Radio Formula that Mexico’s two earthquakes in September had tightened government finances, but there would be enough funding to launch the effort.

The law signed Thursday would create a National Search System with local branches in the states.

It would also create new special prosecutors to handle disappearances and provide more forensic resources to investigations.