CNDH calls for prevention of child recruitment by organized crime in Mexico

Mexico’s National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) has called on all levels of government to strengthen public policies to prevent the recruitment of children and adolescents by organized crime. The appeal follows the death of a 15-year-old boy in Michoacán who was allegedly linked to a criminal organization.

The CNDH emphasized that the recruitment, use, and exploitation of minors should not be viewed solely through a public security lens, but as a systematic violation of human rights. Minors are often coerced into roles ranging from surveillance and transporting illicit messages or goods to direct participation in armed activities.

The commission identified several structural factors that facilitate this recruitment, including poverty, migration, lack of access to quality education, school dropout rates, domestic violence, and economic precariousness. To combat this, the CNDH urged authorities to expand educational, sporting, cultural, and labor opportunities for youth in high-risk environments and to improve psychosocial support for those exposed to violence.

International bodies, including the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and the Organization of American States (OAS), have previously warned of the gravity of child disappearances and recruitment in Mexico. Data indicated that as of August 19, 2025, there were 18,192 reported missing persons in the country.