MEXICO CITY — .As Mexico prepares to host the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, thousands of women known as buscadoras — searchers of the disappeared — are planning a major protest to force the world to confront a national human rights catastrophe: more than 134,460 people officially registered as missing in Mexico as of 25 May 2026 .
The march, scheduled to coincide with the tournament’s opening ceremony on 11 June, will take place outside Mexico City Stadium. Organised by women whose relatives were forcibly disappeared — many abducted by criminal groups or killed for resisting recruitment — the protest aims to expose the Mexican state’s failure to investigate disappearances, protect families, or provide meaningful avenues for justice.
Their slogan is stark: “Don’t play with our pain.”
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A Crisis Overshadowing the World Cup
While FIFA promotes the event as “the greatest opening ceremony on earth,” Amnesty International warns that the global spectacle risks obscuring one of the gravest human rights crises in the Americas. The organisation notes that there are more disappeared people in Mexico than spectators expected at the opening match — a comparison that underscores the scale of the emergency .
With minimal state support, women have been forced to lead search efforts themselves, combing fields, ravines, and clandestine graves for traces of their loved ones. Many have become de facto investigators, forensic researchers, and human rights defenders — roles that place them in extreme danger.
Amnesty International’s research shows that women searchers are routinely attacked, threatened, extorted, stigmatized, and even criminalized for their work. Some have been killed. Others have been displaced from their homes after receiving death threats from criminal groups or corrupt officials .
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Amnesty International: “These Women Must Be Protected and Heard”
In a statement ahead of the protest, Edith Olivares Ferreto, Executive Director of Amnesty International Mexico, said the women’s mobilisation is a vital act of resistance:
> “As tens of millions of people around the world prepare to tune into what FIFA is calling ‘the greatest opening ceremony on earth’, thousands of brave women in Mexico will use the opportunity to take to the streets and remind the world that their loved ones are still missing and that their search for them continues.”
She added:
> “This is a crisis on staggering scale — there are more disappeared and missing people in Mexico than will attend the opening match of this World Cup. It is time for the Mexican authorities to listen to these women, who deserve truth, remedy and justice.”
Amnesty International emphasised that although authorities have formally authorised the march, women searchers remain at high risk of repression, harassment, and violence, and must be guaranteed full protection. The organisation will deploy observers during the protest and monitor developments nationwide.
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A High‑Risk Fight for Truth
Amnesty’s broader research into the experiences of women searchers reveals the depth of the danger they face:
– 97% report experiencing violence or threats while searching for the disappeared.
– 45% have received direct threats.
– 39% have faced extortion.
– 27% have been attacked or forcibly displaced.
– Some have survived torture, kidnapping, or sexual violence.
– At least 16 women searchers have been killed in recent years.
One woman from Guerrero told Amnesty:
> “My house was shot at, at least 100 bullets. I was with my daughters. It was awful.”
Despite these dangers, women searchers have driven major legislative and institutional reforms, created more than 234 search collectives, and built networks of solidarity across Mexico and Central America. Their work has become one of the most significant grassroots human rights movements in the region.
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World Cup Spotlight: A Rare Chance for Global Pressure
Human rights organisations argue that the World Cup offers a rare moment when Mexico’s government cannot ignore international scrutiny. Amnesty International is urging authorities across all states to:
– Guarantee the right to peaceful protest,
– Refrain from any form of repression,
– Accept international assistance in search and forensic efforts, and
– Provide truth, justice, and reparations to families of the disappeared.
For the women marching on 11 June, the message is simple: the world must not celebrate while their loved ones remain missing.
As one organiser told Amnesty:
“We will not stop searching. Not during the World Cup. Not ever.”
Photo Credit AFP
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