José Pablo Baraybar, from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), highlighted the importance of collaboration in the search and identification of missing persons.

The archaeologist participated in the Student Forum: Meeting of the Specializations of the University Program for Attention to the Problem of the Disappearance of Persons and Human Identification of the University of Veracruzana.

Baraybar emphasized that the search and identification processes form an “inseparable continuum” that demands collaboration between disciplines, institutions, scientific and humanitarian approaches.

ICRC Specialist Addresses Mexico‘s Missing Persons Crisis

Students, teachers, members of search groups and the general public spoke with the ICRC specialist

During a recent presentation, an ICRC specialist described the immense scale of the missing persons crisis in Mexico-over 130,000 people are missing, and approximately 72,000 bodies remain unidentified. He stressed that the forensic system is experiencing long-term, systemic issues. “it is indeed not a crisis; it is a chronic phenomenon,” he stated.

He explained that lasting institutional change is crucial, especially in data management and digital association. While tools like DNA and fingerprint analysis are critically important, he acknowledged potential operational limitations. Therefore, creating and maintaining a fundamental identification database, supported by integrated information systems, is essential.

Baraybar also emphasized the importance of reflecting on the way…