Kidnappings in Mexico target all social classes
Ken Ellingwood reports from Mexico City on the increasing numbers of kidnappings gripping the country - from their variety to their victims. Kidnappers target middle and working-class families as well as rich business people and some, he reports, have been kidnapped for ransoms as low as US $1,000 or US $2,000.
The national concern over the current kidnap rates in Mexico prompted marches across the country over the weekend. In Mexico City, the protest on Avenue Reforma Saturday saw thousands of upper and middle-class people as well as working class Mexicans take to the streets.
The faces of the dead were all around and friends and families carried placards of loved ones who have been kidnapped over the years. Click here for our video report on the march.
Read more about Mexico's kidnapping problems here and click here for more on Mexico in general.
-- Deborah Bonello in Mexico City
Photo: A protester holds a picture of a girl called Monica Alejandrina, who was kidnapped in 2004, during Saturday's march in Mexico. Deborah Bonello / Los Angeles Times.
