Mexico has been plagued by violence for an extended period, with drug cartels exerting significant control and contributing to numerous issues. A recent article from a Mexican website shed light on a deeply troubling matter within the country.
According to a report by AFN Tijuana News on August 9, over the span of five years, from 2017 to 2022, Baja California, Mexico, witnessed the tragic loss of more than 300 young lives, encompassing adolescents and children. Miguel Angel Mora Marrufo, the president of the State Human Rights Commission (ECHR), recently disclosed this distressing statistic.
Mora Marrufo conveyed that the figures underscore a concerning escalation in violence targeting minors. He has reached out to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner, as he believes that Mexican authorities are not taking sufficient action to safeguard children. Among the recent tragic incidents is the killing of a 4-year-old boy during an assault on his family in Tecate. Moreover, in Ensenada, a 13-year-old and an 11-year-old fell victim to fatal gunshot wounds.
Reports from 2020 brought to light a disheartening reality: a significant number of child homicides in Mexico remain unresolved. Experts attribute this distressing trend to the absence of comprehensive child protection laws. Furthermore, cartels exploit vulnerable children, enlisting them for perilous roles in the drug and firearm trade. The Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System (SESNSP) of Mexico disclosed that between January and September 2019, a total of 796 children tragically lost their lives to violence in the country.
Juan Martin Garcia, who leads the Network for Children’s Rights in Mexico, informed TeleSUR that the nation experiences approximately four child homicides on a daily basis. He elaborated that merely three cases out of every 100 progress to the point of sentencing, highlighting that a staggering 97% of these crimes remain without punishment.
As documented by the Council on Foreign Relations, Mexico is currently grappling with a dire violence crisis, resulting in an annual death toll surpassing 30,000 since 2018. Cartels have undergone consolidation in recent times, expanding their dominion, which has directly contributed to the escalating fatality rates. Regrettably, the Mexican government’s efforts to curb this violence have been limited.
