Despite its frequency in Mexico, research on migrant kidnapping is scant. We estimate that up to 250,000 migrants may have been kidnapped between 2006 and 2018. Even less is known about women as perpetrators in kidnapping operations. Moreover, in Mexico, research that examines the relationship between gender, transit migration, and kidnapping focuses almost exclusively on victimization, and is centered on the male as the perpetrator. This article breaks with both narratives by examining women’s participation in migrant kidnappings in Mexico through an original dataset of 388 cases. Women were present as perpetrators in 30 percent of the cases, participating in operationally important but also gendered activities, like recruiting potential victims or collecting ransom money. By exploring kidnappers’ demographic characteristics, this article presents the first exploration between migrant kidnapping and female offenders in Mexico. © 2019, © 2019 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

kidnapping Gender migrant crimes of mobility Mexico

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