A Jalisco-based NGO that began 11 years ago after family members of missing persons became frustrated with the official response to their predicament has been given a major human rights award in Spain.
Guadalupe Aguilar, founder of Familiares por Nuestros Desaparecidos de Jalisco (Fundej) collective traveled to Europe this week along with several collaborates to receive the King of Spain Human Rights Award from King Felipe VI at the University of Alcalá de Henares in Madrid.
Fundej was recognized from a list of 48 candidates from a dozen countries for its work in addressing the missing persons crisis in Mexico. More than 110,000 people are registered as disappeared in Mexico, around 15,000 of them in the state of Jalisco.
Aguilar said the roots of the NGO took shape when seven mothers decided to take matters into their own hands and become pro-active in their quest to find their missing children.
Fundej played a key role in pushing state authorities to make the issue a top priority, including the setting up of a special prosecutor’s office for missing persons. Its public activism was also instrumental in the “rebranding” of Guadalajara’s Niños Heroes monument in honor of the disappeared.
While satisfied at the recognition, Aguilar said it was bittersweet and that nothing can replace her missing son.
“The disappearance of one person affects generations, erodes trust in institutions and challenges collective conscience,” said King Felipe, who described Fundej as “a beacon of hope.”
To learn more about Fundej, see fundej.wordpress.com.