The University Committee for the Analysis of Missing Persons at the University of Guadalajara (UdeG) warned of an increase in the disappearance of adolescents and young people between the ages of 15 and 19 in Jalisco.
This is allegedly related to forced recruitment practices by organized crime.
“Last Saturday, May 10, the April update of the State Registry of Missing Persons in Jalisco (REPD) was published. The data indicates an alarming increase in missing young people between the ages of 15 and 19 who are not being located,” the Committee said in a statement.
Between January and April 2025, 1,123 disappearances were reported, of which 616 people remain unaccounted for, according to the investigation based on official figures.
Although these figures are similar to those for the same period last year, the Committee noted a change in the age composition of the victims.
In 2024, people between the ages of 25 and 29 led the reports with 117 cases, but in 2025, “people between the ages of 15 and 19 took first place with 122 reports,” representing an increase of 48 cases compared to the previous year.
“The average number of missing persons between the ages of 15 and 19 who have not yet been located per month is 9.8 for 2023, 11.8 in 2024, and has reached 25.3 so far in 2025,” the document stated.
The Committee also reported that in some recent months, more disappearances have been reported than authorities have been able to confirm as resolved.
“As of March, 27 people who disappeared that month have not yet been located, but 38 have been reported, while as of April, 26 have not yet been located, and 38 have been reported again.”
Regarding the profile of the victims, the university group noted that “of the 122 people between the ages of 15 and 19 reported missing so far this year and who have not been located, only about 61 identification cards have been issued.”
The latter was attributed to the “tendency toward opacity in the reporting of missing persons by the Jalisco State Deputy Prosecutor’s Office and the Search Commission.”
In total, 97 of the missing persons are men and 25 are women.
The municipalities with the most cases are Zapopan and Guadalajara, with 21 reports each, followed by Tlajomulco de Zúñiga and Tlaquepaque, with 13.
Regarding the causes, the Committee indicated that “it is very likely that the difference we are observing is due to the impact of the recruitment of young people by organized crime.”
Although this has existed for several years, “it undoubtedly intensified since the summer of last year.”
Given this situation, the Committee requested that “the Government of Jalisco immediately prepare and make public a contextual analysis that will explain why reports of missing persons have increased among this age group.”
They also demanded “that a specific alert be issued for the disappearance of young people linked to forced recruitment practices” and that “a specific state action plan against forced recruitment be formulated as soon as possible.”
Finally, they proposed that “forced recruitment be legislated as a separate crime, and that the appropriateness of formulating a specific law be considered.”
The statement was signed by members of the University Committee for the Analysis of Disappearances of Persons, including Dr. Dolores del Carmen Chinas Salazar, Dr. Denisse Ayala Hernández, and Dr. Jorge Ramírez Plascencia, among others.
Source: aristeguinoticias
