More than 1,000 women marched through Mexico City on Monday evening to demand that those responsible for killing hundreds of women in the border town of Ciudad Juarez be brought to justice.

Hundreds of women protest in Mexico City the murders of women in the northern city of Ciudad Juarez, Monday, Nov. 25, 2002. Some 280 women have been killed in the last decade in Cuidad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas, said first lady Martha Sahagun de Fox. In the past, Juarez police have confirmed at least 75 cases where women were raped and murdered. (AP Photo/Ismael Rojas)

More than 300 young girls and women have been killed in the town since 1993.

The "Women in Black" procession was held to coincide with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

The marchers, dressed in black and holding candles, were joined by families and friends of the victims as well as politicians and celebrities.

The march aimed to symbolise the lost souls of the victims, wandering in search of justice and leaving a trail of blood behind them.

Killings continue

The case of the murdered women of Ciudad Juarez has caused widespread outrage.

Despite several federal and state investigations, the authorities have been unable to identify the killers or establish a motive behind the murders.

Dozens of suspects have been arrested over the years, but the deaths still continue.

Appeals for information have so far failed to produce many leads

Drug-related killings and sex slavery are among the lines of investigation being pursued.

Only last Thursday, more remains were found in the northern border town. The Mexican police are investigating whether they are the bodies of two women recently reported missing.

The remains were found in the backyard of a house allegedly used as the site of satanic rituals.

'Outrageous violence'

The Juarez killings have also come to the attention of Mexico's First Lady Martha Sahagun de Fox.

Speaking at Monday's unveiling of the new federal "Life Without Violence" programme at the Mexico City offices of the Interior Ministry, she called the killings the country's most outrageous example of violence against women.

She said investigators should do more to catch those responsible for the violence in the town, just across the border from El Paso, Texas.

But Rosario Robles, head of the opposition Democratic Revolution Party, blamed President Fox's government for not doing more to stem the killings.

The investigation required "real political will from the federal government in order to truly solve these killings," Mr Robles said.

Copyright 2002 BBC

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