Governance to Face the Problem of the Disappearance of People. Interlocution Experiences between Relatives of Missing Persons and Governmental Authorities in the States of Coahuila and Nuevo León (2009-2018)

Abstract

This article examines the interaction scheme established between the groups of relatives of disappeared persons and government authorities from 2009 to 2018 in the Mexican States of Coahuila and Nuevo León. Moreover, it analyzes the proposal for citizen participation provided in the General Law on Forced Disappearance of Persons, Disappearance Committed by Individuals and the National System of Search for Persons. Through this qualitative case study, the question about the opportunities of incidence offered by both participation schemes considered as models of governance is answered, one built from bottom-up by the same family members organized, and the second designed from top-down  by the government in the form of citizen councils. After reviewing the implementation of these different governance mechanisms, and in the face of the government's reluctance to implement formal participatory mechanisms without restrictions, we conclude that the spaces created by the groups of families of victims are still essential to exercise their rights and to keep the demand to know the whereabouts of the disappeared persons on the public agenda.