Building a Comprehensive Government of Mexico Approach to Combating Child Labor and Forced Labor

According to the 2020 ILO report on the Global Estimates on Child Labor, global progress against child labor has stalled and the COVID-19 crisis has likely pushed many more children into child labor. This is likely the situation in Mexico where, despite a government program that broadcasted educational classes via internet, television, and radio, initial reports suggest that 2.5 million children did not continue their basic education and that the number of children engaging in child labor will increase by 5.5 percent.  School disruption is one of the underlying causes of child labor; however, more data is needed to fully assess the impact the pandemic and other policy actions have had on the elimination of child labor and forced labor in Mexico.   

Under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the Government of Mexico has committed to address labor rights violations, including related to child labor. Moreover as an active part of the Regional Initiative Latin America and the Caribbean Free of Child Labor (RILAC) and as a Pathfinder country under Alliance 8.7, Mexico has committed to accelerate efforts and pilot new approaches to end forced labor and child labor in all its forms. 

However, Mexico does not yet have a national strategy to bring together federal and state-level plans on child labor in a coordinated manner. The Government of Mexico has limited resources dedicated to implementing a nationwide strategy for addressing child and forced labor and establishing strategic partnerships with other countries across the region. The Ministry of Labor, which is responsible for spearheading these efforts, lacks sufficient resources and expertise to update policies, strategic plans, and programming at the federal, state, and municipal levels to address child labor and forced labor effectively and sustainably. 

According to the 2019 National Child Labor Survey, the states of Chiapas and Yucatán were reported to have child labor rates above the national average of 11.5% with rates of 18.3% and 11.9%, respectively, while the child labor rate for Quintana Roo was approximately 10.2%. Moreover, these numbers have likely increased as a result of the pandemic. All three states are in southern Mexico and receive many migrants from Central America. There is also a large indigenous population in this region. Both migrants and indigenous persons are among the most vulnerable groups at risk of child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking. Unfortunately, these states have limited resources and data and lack the strategic partnerships needed to appropriately address and prevent child labor and forced labor.