Cecilia Alejandra Covarrubia Aguila
24 days old
On November 14, 1995, my daughter Cecilia left our house for the health center, carrying in her arms, her small, 24 day old daughter, Cecilia Alejandra who had an eye infection. She did not return.
Four days later, the body of my daughter Cecilia was found, raped and thrown in the desert. My granddaughter remains missing.
The crime against my daughter, like hundreds of women in Juarez, remains unsolved. The ex-prosecutor Solis Silva, without my consent, moved the body of my daughter to another cemetery. They lost the DNA evidence.
I am Soledad Aguilar, mother and grandmother who looks to you for the strength that, at time, fails me to continue looking for the murderer of my daughter and I hope one day to find my granddaughter who remains with her true identity denied. The authorities are not looking for her, just like they didn't look for my daughter. They live because I have made them live with my struggle for justice.
Soledad Aguilar
Claudia Yudith Urias Berthaud left her house Sunday, March 9, 2003, at 9 in the morning to go to her grandmother's house. She was a secondary school student.
For Claudia Yudith Urias Berthaud ... if I had known it would be the last time I would see you, I would have given you a kiss and a hug. I would have taken your hand and walked with you. I would have protected and cared for you always.
I ask God to give me the necessary time to continue telling you that I love you.
- Virginia Bethau
Her remains were found in December 2005 and identified in January 2006 (www.amigosdemujeres.org/cecilia.htm).
Erika Ivonne Ruiz Zavala
16 years old
“Student in high school. Disappeared June 23, 2001. Her body was found partially buried at the foot of a grave in the city cemetery. The prosecutor issued charges only for the illegal burial when the case was already being worked as a crime.”
To my dear daughter,
Little daughter, you left my side without me being able to say goodbye, without being able to hug you in my arms and tell you:
Daughter, I love you so much, as I told you every year of my life, but I know that where you are now, you are well. For this I feel good.
God chose an angel and this angel is you to guide us day and night.
Goodbye my little daughter. I carry you in my heart, I will never forget you.
Your mother Lupita,
As you say to me: cariño (www.amigosdemujeres.org/erika.htm).
Julieta Marleng Gonzalez Valenzuela
17 years old
Single
“Student and worker in a maquila. Disappeared Thursday, March 8, 2001 from Chihuahua City. She left her school in the center of the city on her way home.”
My dear daughter,
I don't know why it was you that was selected .. or maybe yes, I do know. Because you were a pure and sweet girl. Since the day I lost my daughter, my world stopped and my heart has not stopped crying from your absence. I believe that my eyes no longer have tears, this is how much I miss you. I still have the most minimal hope keeps me alive with the desire to see you again.
I ask God to protect you now that I no longer can. I don't have a day or even a minute in which you are not with me. I remember you and pray a lot. In my prayers, I ask God to help me accept his will and not to weaken, and also I pray to the Virgin, she who is mother is moved to pity my sadness and where she may find you she may protect you with her blessed mantle.
To my daughter Marlen, who misses you a lot, and has not lost the hope of seeing you again. Only in God, do I confide. I know that his mercy will rejoin us again for my peace. It is peace that I long for.
I feel like my heart hurts because I love you and miss you and I never stop sending my blessings to wherever you may be found. From your mother who remembers you always with care and love.
Consuelo Valenzuela (www.amigosdemujeres.org/julieta.htm)
Maria Elena Garcia Salas
18 years old.
“Worker in a maquila. Disappeared the 5th of November, 1995 in Juarez . Left at sunrise for her work.”
Nena,
Beautiful girl, suddenly I looked for you and you were not there. You are or were, I don't know which, the light that shines on us. You, the littlest one in the house. The one that made us happy to get up in the morning. Why did you have to disappear?
Today its almost 10 years that you are not with us but instead of the tension disappearing bit by bit, day by day, your memory tortures us more. I want to know if you still are in alive or if you have left this world. That's how it is here. We would like to have a place to cry for you, to bring you flowers. Also, our hearts would be more at peace although not happy. Now, happiness would only come back to us if we could see you again, hug you, and cry again at your side.
It is better that no one knows the anxious years that we have lived, not knowing anything about you. For this I ask you all to help us find her again.
Your sisters
(www.amigosdemujeres.org/maria.htm)
Since 1993, more than 450 young women, ages 12-19 have been beaten, raped and/or murdered in Ciudad Juarez. Four-hundred fifty more women are missing and the violence has spread to Chihuahua City. Since 2004, 4 have been raped and murdered and 11 are missing in Chihuahua. People feared that these crimes are connected to those of Ciudad Juarez. “Amigos de las Mujeres de Juarez” is the only organization on the border that has provided consistent support to the victims’ families. Sally Meisenhelder, a nurse at RE: Thomason General Hospital and Cynthia Bejarano, a professor at NMSU are the co founders of “Amigos de las Mujeres de Juarez.” It is a small all volunteer non-profit organization based in Las Cruces, New Mexico made up of community members, students, and university professors, who have assisted the families of women victims in Ciudad Juarez with emotional and financial support since 2001 through fundraising efforts, donations and outreach.
The organization’s mission has been to work toward ending crimes against women in Cd. Juarez and Chihuahua City and provide support to the families of serial-killing victims in Juarez and Chihuahua. Their mission also has been to provide support to the “Casa Amiga” rape and abuse crisis center in Cd. Juarez, “Justicia para Nuestras Hijas” and “Centro de Derechos Humanos de las Mujeres” in Chihuahua, which according to co founder, Sally Meisenhelder, are composed of family members who are seeking justice for their daughters. “Amigos de las Mujeres de Juarez” has provided support to these organizations since April of 2003. To date, they have raised over $30,000 for women’s groups in Ciudad Juarez. She points out that they perform regular visitations (standard procedure) to organizations they support to insure the charities are used according to U.S. Government tax-exempt law. As stated by Meisenhelder, Amigos has worked six years with these groups. Over the past six years, Amigos have had meetings and talks with these support groups. Meisenhelder has had frequent contact with most of the family members that work with these organizations and receive assistance.
Summary of Organizations “Amigos de las Mujeres de Juarez” Supports.
“Justicia para Nuestras Hijas,” which is comprised of Chihuahua City community members and the families of the murdered victims there. They provide counseling services that Amigos supports, affirmed Meisenhelder. “Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a Casa” supports families seeking for justice for their daughters. This group is active in spreading knowledge of the crimes in Cd. Juarez in Mexico City and throughout the world. According to Meisenhelder, the group also provides counseling services which Amigos supports as well. “Casa Amiga Rape and Crisis Center” provides counseling, medical and legal services to the victims of domestic abuse, sexual abuse and rape. It also has a children’s program, children’s art therapy and abuse prevention classes for children. Classes on domestic abuse are also given at Cd. Juarez in the ‘maquiladoras.’ “Centro de Derechos Humanos de las Mujeres, A.C.” According to Meisenhelder is a 24-hour counseling hotline group who just had their open ceremony over a month ago. It houses a lawyer and counselor to assist women victims of domestic violence and other abuse.
A summary of activities and donations throughout 2006 held by “Amigos de las Mujeres de Juarez.”
In December 8, 2006, Cynthia Bejarano, a co founder of “Amigos de las Mujeres de Juarez,” Paula Gonzalez, mother of murdered victim in Juarez, Sagrario Gonzalez, and two student organizations coordinated a toy drive for a school in Anapra. In the past, Paula Gonzalez founded a kinder garden in Anapra in honor of her daughter, who desired to become a teacher.
In August 2006, the organization coordinated and paid for 2 lawyers and 3 psychologist from “Centro de Derechos Humanos de Mujeres” to Las Cruces and El Paso. In July 2006, $350.00 was donated to “Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a Casa.” In June 2006, another donation of $700.00 to “Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a Casa” and a donation of $500.00 to “Justicia para Nuestras Hijas.”
In May 2006, a donation of $700.00 to “Justicia para Nuestras Hijas” and “Centro de Derechos Humanos de Mujeres.” In April 2006, a donation of $400 to “Centro de Derechos Humanos de Mujeres” in Chihuahua for their efforts on femicides. “Amigos de las Mujeres de Juarez” also distributed $1,200.00 donation from Alicia Gaspar de Alba to “Casa Amiga,” “Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a Casa” and “Justicia para Nuestras Hijas.” Also, a donation of $200.00 was distributed to “Justicia para Nuestras Hijas” in Chihuahua.
In March 2006, “Amigos de las Mujeres de Juarez” helped organize J. Paul Taylor Social Justice Symposium, “Justice for Women.” The organization received grant from Lannan Foundation. Also, the organization disbursed one year’s rent to “Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a Casa” and $2,100.00 to other groups. Finally, in January 2006, “Amigos de las Mujeres de Juarez” helped start a local anti-human trafficking coalition. In addition, according to Meisenhelder, Amigos also raised $1,000.00 to contribute to one of these organizations. Their contribution paid for one year’s rent to one of the victim’s family members in Juarez.
Also, Amigos sells items from Chiapas to raise monies for other women organizations. Meisenhelder stated that the very poor people from Chiapas are aware of the women serial-killing victims in Juarez and wanted to help somehow. Consequently, they design bags and blouses which Amigos buys and sells these to the public. This way, the people from Chiapas help Amigos, who helps them in return. One can find these and other items on displayed at “Mesilla Cultural Arts Center Book Store” and also in Albuquerque, NM.
Amigos, according to Meisenhelder, has also done fundraisers such as, art shows and music shows. For example, one year ago, the organization coordinated a fundraiser at “Whiteraven Gallery.” Students from NMSU invited artists to donate their artwork for the fundraiser. Also, “Amigos de las Mujeres de Juarez” has received funds from “The Vagina Monologues,” a play performed in Las Cruces by NMSU students, who have tried out for the parts. The actors raised money for local women organizations.
As indicated by Meisenhelder, in 2005, Amigos contributed monies to women support groups in order to coordinate a luncheon for family members on “Mother’s Day.” They also delivered Christmas gifts to women support groups to be distributed among the murdered victims’ families. Furthermore, they have organized worldwide and local protests. They have traveled to Ciudad Juarez to meet on a weekly and monthly basis with family groups, human rights groups, government organizations and advocacy groups.
In addition, Meisenhelder mentioned that in 2005 families attended an educational conference at New Mexico regarding the young women killings in Juarez sponsored by NMSU, “Peace and Justice Center,” and “Amnesty International.” The panel consisted of “Amigos de las Mujeres de Juarez,” two family members and a lawyer. “While the families attended the conference, some family members stayed at my house,” she concluded.
Mothers, who are active members in “Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a Casa” and “Justicia para Nuestras Hijas,” declared Meisenhelder, do grant writing in Chihuahua and have received grants for different projects. For example, Hortensia Enriquez, Consuelo Valenzuela and Patricia Marquez Acuna, members of “Justicia para Nuestras Hijas,” mothers of Erika Noemi Carrillo Enriquez, Julieta Marleng Gonzalez Valenzuela and Yesenia Concepcion Vega Marquez, who are still missing have arranged for the “Argentinean Forensic Anthropologist," an independent forensic expert team to come and work on the women murdered cases in Juarez and Chihuahua.
The “Argentinean Forensic Anthropologist” has been working since June of 2005 identifying the remains of the murdered victims in Juarez and Chihuahua through DNA testing. The forensic team has identified the bodies of Maria Rosalba Ortega, Minerva Teresa Torres, Miriam Cristina Gallegos Venegas, Gloria Irene Tarango Ronquillo and Claudia Yudith Urias Berthaud. But there are still a lot of bodies that have not yet been identified and the expert team is about to conclude their investigation. Consequently, on November 26, 2006 in a conference meeting that was held, the mothers demanded Lic. Jose Reyes Baeza, Gobernador Constitucional del Estado de Chihuahua to conduct more investigations in order to identify the rest of the missing victims. “We want the ‘Argentinean Forensic Anthropologist’ team to stay and complete the work,” confirmed Meisenhelder.
A few months ago, “Amigos de las Mujeres de Juarez” issued a report on the Mexican government’s dereliction of duty. The organization also released, “It’s Not a Myth,” responding to a media campaign held by the elites of Juarez to portray the victims as the criminals. “Amigos de las Mujeres de Juarez” have asked residents living in border estates to make contact with their state representative and governor in order to request that a bi-national investigative body be formed, which was never done by the Mexican government.
By: Olga L. Chacon
If you would like more information or offer support to the families of the murdered women in Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua City, please contact “Amigos de las Mujeres de Juarez”at amigosdemujeres@yahoo.com, or may contact them by mail at P.O. Box 2449, Mesilla Park, NM 88047, or visit their website at www.amigosdemujeres.org.
