Photograph taken at the exhibition

Countering Human Rights Violations in Mexico .

Democracy and Governance | Human Rights | Local Governance and Decentralization | Violence Prevention
Latin America and the Caribbean

Human Rights Accountability Activity

Project Dates: August 2020 - August 2025
Cycles of violence in Mexico continue to take a toll on civilians, necessitating greater accountability in Mexico’s human rights system.

For more than a decade, Mexico has experienced violence and insecurity fueled by transnational criminal organizations. The toll on civilians has been high, with more than 200,000 deaths since 2006, including targeted killings of more than 100 journalists and human rights defenders, and more than 9,000 documented cases of torture.

To reduce impunity and help prevent future violence, the Human Rights Accountability Activity (RED-DH) builds the capacity of Mexico’s human rights institutions to effectively and accountably respond to and prevent human rights violations — in particular, forced disappearances and torture — at the federal and state levels. RED-DH strengthens national mechanisms and enhances intergovernmental coordination, supporting state-level implementation of laws and safeguards to prevent and respond to human rights abuses. The activity also provides targeted technical assistance to address the backlog of forensic cases in five priority states. With stronger accountability in Mexico’s human rights system, citizens will regain trust in the government, and victims of violence and their families will find closure.

Project Goals


  • Establish and sustain national oversight, coordination, and implementation mechanisms to help the government of Mexico implement the 2017 General Laws on Torture and Forced Disappearances
  • Enhance implementation of the 2017 General Laws on Torture and Forced Disappearances in five priority states
  • Decrease the backlog of forensic cases in five priority states

Banner photo: Photograph taken at the exhibition “Huellas de la Memoria,” where 220 pairs of hanging shoes and footprints engraved with the names of missing people speaks of disappearances in a country with more than 73,000 cases.