CPOY 71 Portfolio Award of Excellence: Betina Garcia
A body of work that showcases a photographer’s vision and demonstrates versatility, expertise and depth.
Caption
Slide 5 of 42
January 14, 2016
Susana Mendez sits in her bedroom in La Piedad, Michoachán, Mexico on January 12, 2015. It's one of the most dangerous places in Mexico where extortion, rape, assault and kidnapping is a part of the daily life for the local citizens. Susana is missing her brother, who mysteriously disappeared in August, 2015. He left her mothers house and has never returned and the family is desperately looking for him. They have no idea what has happened to him. He was running an errand, she kissed him goodbye and said see you but he never returned to the house. "I just hope and pray to God that he is still alive. I don't want to think that he is dead. I'll keep my faith and just wishes that he's alright," she says. Mexico is the country in the world that has the most kidnappings. President Enrique Peña Nieto announced that the number of kidnappings had dropped in 2014 with 990 documented cases while the non-governmental organization Alto al Secuestro (Stop The Kidnapping) claimed 1,766 kidnappings took place in the first six months of 2014. Many kidnappings aren't being reported as the victims fear the kidnappers, why the actual number could be way higher. Some organizations say over 100,000 cases a year.