The House of Representatives yesterday passed House Concurrent Resolution 90, sponsored by Congresswoman Hilda Solis (D-CA), which condemns the violent murder of more than 400 women over the past 16 years in the border cities of Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua, Mexico. The resolution denounces the murders and asks that the United States government engage the Mexican government in order to solve the open cases and work to prevent any more deaths. A similar resolution has been introduced in the Senate by Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM).
According to the Resolution, 56 of the 400 murders have been committed since 2004 and 152 of the women were also sexually assaulted. Most of the murders have gone unsolved, and human rights groups have faulted the local government for mishandling the investigations. The Resolution cites the investigation of the Mexican federal special prosecutor, which found that more than 100 government officials had acted negligently in their investigation of the murders. According to Amnesty International, however, none of these officials have been held accountable.
Said Congresswoman Solis on the passage of the Resolution: “We are one step closer to bringing justice to the families of Ciudad Juarez. Passage of this important measure signifies strong US Congressional support for the families of Juarez and the need to address this tragic human rights situation. Binational cooperation between the US and Mexico will help bring an end to the murders of women in Ciudad Juarez and closure to their families.”
