Mexico Pushes to Combat Elder Abuse and Abandonment

In the city of Cuautla, Morelos, authorities are observing a rise in senior citizens, many over 75, who are forced to seek help on the streets, sell goods or beg for money. Experts link the trend to aging demographics, economic hardship and a lack of family support, urging the expansion of social‑assistance programs, health care and food aid to protect this vulnerable group.

At the federal level, senators from the PT party—including Alberto Anaya Gutiérrez, Geovanna Bañuelos de la Torre, Lizeth Sánchez García, Yeidckol Polevnsky Gurwitz and Ana Karen Hernández Aceves—have presented a proposal to strengthen mechanisms that prevent, detect and punish the dispossession of elderly assets. The proposal calls on the National Institute for Older Persons and the Family Development System to reinforce policies across Mexico’s 32 states, and urges state prosecutors to act on the 87 % of reported cases (2024‑2025) that occur at home, often involving children as aggressors. The legislators stress that protecting older adults is both a legal duty and an ethical imperative.