8,500 Juárez orphans projected: Study pins record number on cartel violence

By Diana Washington Valdez \ El Paso Times
Posted: 02/13/2011 09:18:57 AM MST


Juárez is expected to end up with an estimated 8,500 orphaned children by the year 2012, according to a study by researchers at the Autonomous University of Juárez.

The record number of orphans stems from the drug-cartel violence in recent years, said Alberto Ochoa, a researcher with the university's Center for Social Research, or CIS.

As a result of the center's findings, which also look at other cities in Mexico, Ochoa said, the researchers hope to strengthen the demand for adoptions, while Mexican government agencies work to streamline the adoption process.

"The collateral damage will be disastrous for us as a society if we reach the 8,500 figure in 2012," Ochoa said.

The center previously made headlines with another report that projected that Juárez would have 5,000 homicides this year.

Using computer modeling, the center projected 3,000 homicides in 2010, and came within about 300 of that figure (3,311) at the end of the year.

Ochoa said that the CIS plans to conduct a seminar Wednesday, titled "Rethinking Juárez," on some of the group's findings and recommendations.

At the seminar, Ochoa will present a multidisciplinary analysis on how to recover sports spaces.

The free seminar, open to the public, will begin at 5 p.m. Wednesday at the Juárez university's ICSA building.

Diana Washington Valdez may be reached at dvaldez@elpasotimes.com; 546-6140.

http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_17374424