In 2023, Mexico took a significant step by reforming the Federal Labor Law and the Social Security Law, implementing new measures to improve working conditions and protect workers’ rights. The reforms mandate the provision of social security, written labor contracts, access to essential services such as food, water, and medical care during the workday, as well as safe transportation and childcare services for employees. Additionally, hefty fines were established for non-compliance with these regulations.
However, behind these measures, which seem like a step forward towards labor justice, critical failures in the government’s execution and political will to eradicate one of the country’s worst scourges—child labor—are laid bare. Despite the reforms, the fact that the minimum working age remains 15, while compulsory education extends to 18, not only creates a legal disconnect but also incentivizes minors to drop out of school early.
The government has failed to effectively address this structural problem. Data reveals that while 48,180 labor inspections were carried out nationwide in 2023, the number of identified child labor violations at the federal level remains unknown. In Chihuahua alone, 42 violations were detected, a figure reflecting the magnitude of the problem at the local level, but also raising doubts about the scope and effectiveness of inspections throughout the rest of the country. With only 665 labor inspectors for over 59.2 million workers, Mexico clearly lacks the resources to adequately monitor the enforcement of its own laws.
Even more concerning is the lack of transparency and follow-up by the authorities. Although the government has initiated investigations and prosecuted some perpetrators of the worst forms of child labor, the exact number of investigations, prosecutions, and convictions remains undisclosed. This lack of data not only hinders the evaluation of progress in the fight against child labor but also highlights the government’s opacity on an issue that should be a top priority.
The situation is even more alarming for the most vulnerable groups. Indigenous, Afro-descendant, migrant, and rural children are trapped in a cycle of poverty and marginalization, making them particularly susceptible to labor exploitation. In a country where organized crime remains a dominant force, thousands of children are co-opted by criminal groups to perform dangerous tasks such as drug trafficking and even assassination. It is estimated that around 30,000 children have been recruited by these groups, underscoring not only the government’s negligence but its inability to provide viable alternatives for at-risk minors.
Despite promises of free access to education, more than five million students, mostly from rural areas, dropped out of school between 2022 and 2023. Barriers such as inadequate infrastructure, lack of digital connectivity, and a shortage of schools in agricultural states condemn many children, especially those of indigenous origin, to remain trapped in child labor.
The Mexican government has shown the ability to pass reforms and enact new laws, but its failure to implement deep and sustained changes in child protection remains one of its most glaring shortcomings. Laws, without an efficient and committed system to enforce them, are nothing more than hollow symbols. Meanwhile, thousands of Mexican children continue to work in dangerous conditions, their futures stolen by governmental inaction.