‘Children have to deal with the fallout of the drug trade. They are the ones who can’t walk to their school in safety, who have to train to use a gun’
In the mountains of Guerrero in south-west Mexico, there is a small town called Alcozacán. Violence is common in the area, which is strategically important for the drug trade. Violence has increased all over Mexico over the past few years, but some places including Guerrero have been particularly badly affected.
The people of Alcozacán and its surrounding towns became more and more angry about the criminal groups terrorising their communities and what they saw as a lack of protection from the government. They felt abandoned, so formed community defence forces to protect themselves from the gangs and drug traffickers. In Alcozacán, there are no police as we know them. It is ruled – or taken care of, depending on your point of view – by a force made up of local people.
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