Quarterly Progress Report: EnfoqueDH – HUMAN RIGHTS PUBLIC POLICY ACTIVITY

The program aims to promote competent authorities, efficient institutions, and an active and participatory civil society to facilitate the proper implementation of the General Laws of Torture and Disappearance. EnfoqueDH works at the federal and state levels, with a geographic focus on the three priority states of Coahuila, Chihuahua, and Jalisco. The program is reporting progress on several activities, including engaging the student community to create awareness about torture in Mexican prisons, fostering collaboration between government and civil society actors to respond to torture, and enhancing the Government of Mexico's efforts to search for missing persons. Additionally, EnfoqueDH is providing technical assistance to the federal government in the design of a new National Human Rights Program, promoting cross-sector collaboration to address gender-based violence, and guaranteeing the rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender/Transsexual, and Intersex (LGBTI) individuals. Mexico continues to face formidable human rights challenges, including more than 40,000 missing persons, over 26,000 unidentified bodies, and hundreds of clandestine graves. The federal government has pledged to guarantee the right to the truth of victims, prosecute those responsible for gross human rights violations, and ensure that reparations are paid to victims. In response to these challenges, the government has increased its political will to address human rights abuses, its openness to international scrutiny, and the acceptance of international recommendations to address pressing human rights issues. The United Nations' Committee Against Torture (CAT) assessed Mexico's current efforts to abolish the use of torture, identifying torture as a widespread crime linked to high levels of impunity. The CAT also highlighted the delay in the implementation of the General Law of Torture and the publication of the National Program to Prevent and Sanction Torture. In response, the Government of Mexico acknowledged the support from the governments of Germany and the United States of America to facilitate collaboration between civil society organizations, public officials, and international organizations in the design and application of the National Program to Prevent and Sanction Torture. The reinstatement of the National Search System (SNB) on March 24 marked a significant step towards addressing the issue of disappearance. The SNB aims to assess needs and design mechanisms to implement policies to address this problem. Additionally, the visit of Michelle Bachelet, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, to Mexico highlighted the need for the government to recognize the value that the United Nations Committee on Forced Disappearances could provide in achieving a human rights-centered paradigm.