109TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 90
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Whereas the Mexican cities of Ciudad Jua´rez and Chihuahua 
have been plagued with the abduction, sexual assault, and 
brutal murders of over 400 young women since 1993; 
Whereas there have been at least 56 murders of women in 
Ciudad Jua´rez and the city of Chihuahua since 2004;
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Whereas at least 152 of the victims were sexually assaulted 
prior to their murders; 
Whereas more than half of the victims are women and girls 
between the ages of 13 and 22, and many were abducted 
in broad daylight in well-populated areas; 
Whereas these murders have brought pain to the families and 
friends of the victims on both sides of the border as they 
struggle to cope with the loss of their loved ones; 
Whereas many of the victims have yet to be positively identi-
fied; 
Whereas the perpetrators of most of these heinous acts re-
main unknown; 
Whereas the Mexican Federal Government has taken steps to 
prevent these abductions and murders in Ciudad Jua´rez, 
including setting up a commission to coordinate Federal 
and State efforts, establishing a 40-point plan, appoint-
ing a special commissioner, and appointing a special 
prosecutor; 
Whereas the Mexican Federal special prosecutor’s review of 
the Ciudad Jua´rez murder investigations found evidence 
that over 100 police, prosecutors, forensics experts, and 
other State of Chihuahua justice officials failed to prop-
erly investigate the crimes, and recommended that they 
be held accountable for their acts of negligence, abuse of 
authority, and omission; 
Whereas the Government of Mexico has recognized the impor-
tance of the work of the Mexican Federal special pros-
ecutor and has shifted the mission of the prosecutor’s of-
fice to assist local authorities in investigating and pros-
ecuting crimes of violence against women throughout the 
country;
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Whereas in 2003 the El Paso Field Office of the Federal Bu-
reau of Investigation and the El Paso Police Department 
began providing Mexican Federal, State, and municipal 
law enforcement authorities with training in investigation 
techniques and methods; 
Whereas the United States Agency for International Develop-
ment has begun providing assistance to the State of Chi-
huahua for judicial reform; 
Whereas the government of the State of Chihuahua has juris-
diction over these crimes; 
Whereas the Governor and Attorney General of the State of 
Chihuahua have expressed willingness to collaborate with 
the Mexican Federal Government and United States offi-
cials in addressing these crimes; 
Whereas the Department of State has provided consular serv-
ices on behalf of the American citizen and her husband 
who were tortured into confessing to one of the murders; 
Whereas Mexico is a party to the following international trea-
ties and declarations that relate to abductions and mur-
ders: the Charter of the Organization of American States, 
the American Convention on Human Rights, the Uni-
versal Declaration of Human Rights, the International 
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International 
Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the 
Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimi-
nation Against Women, the United Nations Declaration 
on Violence Against Women, the Convention on the 
Rights of the Child, the Convention of Belem do Para, 
the Inter-American Convention to Prevent and Punish 
Torture, the Inter-American Convention on Forced Dis-
appearance, and the United Nations Declaration on the
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Protection of All Persons From Enforced Disappearance; 
and 
Whereas continuing impunity for these crimes is a threat to 
the rule of law in Mexico: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That Congress—
(1) condemns the ongoing abductions and mur-
ders of young women in Ciudad Jua´rez and the city 
of Chihuahua in the State of Chihuahua, Mexico, 
since 1993; 
(2) expresses its sincerest condolences and 
deepest sympathy to the families of the victims of 
these murders; 
(3) recognizes the courageous struggle of the 
victims’ families in seeking justice for the victims; 
(4) urges the President and Secretary of State 
to incorporate the investigative and preventative ef-
forts of the Mexican Government in the bilateral 
agenda between the Governments of Mexico and the 
United States and to continue to express concern 
over these abductions and murders to the Govern-
ment of Mexico; 
(5) urges the President and Secretary of State 
to continue to express support for the efforts of the 
victims’ families to seek justice for the victims, to 
express concern relating to the continued harass-
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ment of these families and the human rights defend-
ers with whom they work, and to express concern 
with respect to impediments in the ability of the 
families to receive prompt and accurate information 
in their cases; 
(6) supports ongoing efforts to identify un-
known victims through forensic analysis, including 
DNA testing, conducted by independent, impartial 
experts who are sensitive to the special needs and 
concerns of the victims’ families, as well as efforts 
to make these services available to any families who 
have doubts about the results of prior forensic test-
ing; 
(7) condemns the use of torture as a means of 
investigation into these crimes; 
(8) encourages the Secretary of State to con-
tinue to include in the annual Country Report on 
Human Rights of the Department of State all in-
stances of improper investigatory methods, threats 
against human rights activists, and the use of tor-
ture with respect to cases involving the murder and 
abduction of young women in the State of Chi-
huahua; 
(9) encourages the Secretary of State to urge 
the Government of Mexico and the State of Chi-