As Mexico celebrates Mother’s Day, newly released report pegs the country as having the second highest number of murders in 2016 among countries considered in “armed conflict.”

Hundreds of mothers came out in Mexico City to protests violence impacting so many lives.

CGTN’S Denny Alfonso reports.

Maria Cruz’s son was a police officer in Sinaloa, a state known for its international drug trafficking cartel.

“He was the one giving me everything, I don’t have nothing to celebrate, I’m missing a part of my life,” she said.

Diana Garcia shares the same pain.

Her son was kidnapped eight years ago in Sonora, home of the Jalisco cartel.

The country’s situation is reflected in a just-released report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

It shows nearly 23,000 intentional homicides in 2016, putting Mexico’s murder rate second only to Syria’s 60,000.

Mothers in Mexico say they don’t care about numbers.

The best gift for them on this Mother’s Day is justice, and they are asking the government for answers.

The study said many countries in armed conflict lack reliable population data, a critical factor for security analysts.

“About a third of homicides in Mexico are not committed with firearms, which seems to suggest another type of violence, maybe domestic violence, maybe intercommunity violence but not necessarily organized crime-related violence,” security analyst Alejandro Hope said.

The government reacted to the survey saying the numbers are inaccurate and don’t reflect the current situation in Mexico.

But for activists here, there’s no doubt the violence is taking a toll.