The disappearances in Mexico

More than 22,000 people have disappeared since the Mexican government launched its war against drug cartels in 2006 - leaving the victims' families in limbo, wondering if they are dead or alive.

Kidnappings are a source of income for cartels, serving as a way to extort civilians but also to force people to work for them. As the Mexican government struggles to battle the cartels, there are also allegations of disappearances by the state's security forces.

"When they put the marines, army and federal police on the streets it was to create terror. Then citizens are submissive and live locked in their homes and people don't complain - despite economic problems, despite corruption amongst officials at the highest levels. We are caught in the middle trying to keep ourselves safe not only from criminals but also from [the] authorities," says Raymundo Ramos Vazquez, the director of the Human Rights Committee of Nuevo Laredo in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, just across the border with Texas.

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