Child Labor and Forced Labor Reports

Mexico

Onions
Onions
Child Labor Icon
Cucumbers
Cucumbers
Child Labor Icon
Tobacco
Tobacco
Child Labor Icon
Beans (green beans)
Beans (green beans)
Child Labor Icon
Poppies
Poppies
Child Labor Icon
Melons
Melons
Child Labor Icon
Chile Peppers
Chile Peppers
Child Labor Icon
Forced Labor Icon
Sugarcane
Sugarcane
Child Labor Icon
Eggplants
Eggplants
Child Labor Icon
Pornography
Pornography
Child Labor Icon
Tomatoes
Tomatoes
Child Labor Icon
Forced Labor Icon
Coffee
Coffee
Child Labor Icon
Cattle
Cattle
Child Labor Icon
Garments
Garments
Child Labor Icon
Leather Goods/Accessories
Leather Goods/Accessories
Child Labor Icon
Mexico
2022 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor:

Moderate Advancement

In 2022, Mexico made moderate advancement in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. The government approved the ratification of the International Labor Organization's Protocol of 2014 to the Forced Labor Convention and increased the number of municipal-level bodies responsible for coordinating efforts to address child labor. In addition, the government's Benito Juárez Wellbeing National Scholarship Program reached 1.2 million more students in 2022 than in 2021. However, children in Mexico are subjected to the worst forms of child labor, including in commercial sexual exploitation, sometimes as a result of human trafficking, and in illicit activities, such as the production and trafficking of drugs. Children also perform dangerous tasks in agriculture, including in the production of chile peppers, coffee, sugarcane, and tomatoes. Although 55.2 percent of all employment in Mexico occurs in the informal sector, federal and some state-level labor inspectors carry out inspections in that sector only after receiving formal complaints. Further, the Secretariat of Labor and Social Welfare does not have an internal system to track cases of child labor violations, and the 529 federal labor inspectors in the country are likely insufficient to cover the country’s more than 57 million workers. Criminal law enforcement agencies also lack human and financial resources, and social programs to prevent and eliminate child labor are insufficient.

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