More than 3,400 women have gone missing in Peru within a four-month period, raising concerns about the lack of action taken by the state to address the issue. The high number of missing women, coupled with insufficient investigations, points to a crisis in the country.
Titled “What happened to them?”, the report highlights that out of the reported cases, only 1,902 women have been found, leaving 1,504 still missing.
Isabel Ortiz, the deputy for the Ombudsman, described the situation in Peru regarding disappearances as an “imminent danger.” She criticised the lack of action taken by the state to prevent these incidents, which occur annually in a country with a population of 33 million. The issue of disappearances, including kidnappings and abductions, is not being given priority on the government’s agenda.
In 2022, more than 5,380 women, primarily girls and teenagers, were reported missing, indicating a 9.7% decrease compared to 2021. However, feminist NGOs assert that many cases are inadequately investigated by the police and prosecutor’s office, as they often assume that the women have left willingly.
