by Mar°a B. Del R°o
Daily Lobo
In the unforgettable documentary “Se§oritas Extraviadas,” director Lourdes Portillo explores the mystery surrounding 200 kidnapped, raped and missing women in Juarez.
She also documents the struggle of the victims’ families making the documentary intense and effective.
The film portrays haunting images of women’s bodies found in the Chihuahuan desert and raises awareness of the stark reality of this situation. Some of the missing women are young women who, in an attempt to better their lives, move to Juarez to seek out jobs in factories or maquilas.
These maquila workers are commonly kidnapped or disappear near and around the factories. Later, they are often found in the desert wearing other women’s clothing and buried in the sand.
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Portillo extracts information from many angles including the District Attorney of Juarez, but still relies on stories from the actual victims’ families.
Painting black crosses with a pink background has become a symbol for mourning in Juarez. If visiting, you may see a telephone pole with such markings.
Throughout the film, black and white photos of victims are shown. This gives the viewer a chilling reminder that the length of the movie does not accommodate all the photos of the disappeared women.
Equally chilling is one woman’s account of abduction and forced sexual acts by police with other kidnapped woman in the desert.
Diana Washington Valdez, reporter for the El Paso Times and author of upcoming book Harvest of Women, said there is a profile for the victims. Young, thin women with long hair and dark skin are often targeted. They are often poor.
“The fact that they are poor means they won’t cause trouble for the killer and their families won’t be able to hire lawyers or private detectives,” Valdez said.
“Se§oritas Extraviadas” draws a distinction by saying the women are workers of the maquiladoras. Major employers of women are maquilas. Valdez said in the peak time of these factories, 300 assembly plants were set up in Juarez.
“Many women who work at the maquilas or assembly lines are poor,” she said. “That’s why they’re there. It’s the only job they can get.”
Valdez says the United States was involved in an investigation in 1999 at the request of ex-President Ernesto Zedillo and the FBI presented their findings to the Chihuahua state authorities who had no interest in the findings.
According to Frontera Norte Sur, an online newspaper covering the U.S.-Mexico border, the Fox administration recently said they won’t investigate the series of murders for lack of criminal conspiracy. Only when a criminal conspiracy is suspected can federal investigators assume control of local investigations.
According to Fox administration members, they have found no evidence of organized murders.
El Paso has set up a toll free number. Anyone can call in information regarding this situation. The FBI and El Paso police will screen calls and present this information to the Chihuahua police.
Valdez said that despite all of this, sufficient investigations have not been conducted.
“Despite the international tip line and all the work they’ve done before, are they willing to arrest anyone who counts?” Valdez said.
“Se§oritas Extraviadas” makes grown women and men walk out in tears. It’s not just a film, but also a powerful story of young women’s deaths.
“Pressure must be brought to bear on the Mexican federal government to arrest the killer,” Valdez said. “As long as they continue to delay, women will continue to die.”
For more information, log on to http://frontera.nmsu.edu or http://elpasotimes.com. “Se§oritas Extraviadas” is playing at Madstone Theater at 6311 San Mateo Blvd.
