Overview

The year 2018 proved to be the most violent and deadly in Mexico’s recent history, with the number of homicides surpassing 20,000 as the crisis escalated. In a country where an estimated 90 percent of crimes went unsolved and impunity remained the norm, the pursuit of truth and justice was not only difficult but often dangerous. Civilians, journalists, and politicians who dared to speak out were routinely threatened, silenced, murdered, or forcibly disappeared. In an effort to understand the root causes behind this alarming surge in violence, VICE sent correspondent Gianna Toboni to Mexico. There, she investigated the systemic forces driving the country’s spiraling murder rate and met with those who refused to be silenced, individuals who risked everything in their fight to expose the truth.