All 32 states allow abortion in cases of rape. On August 30, the Extraordinary Mechanism for Forensic Identification became fully operational. Nonetheless, discrimination was common against racial and ethnic minorities, including Black, Afro-Mexican, and indigenous groups. In response to a 2020 civil society organization lawsuit, a Mexico City court ruled authorities must implement COVID-19 detection and preventive health protocols for detainees and their families in prisons in Mexico City and psychiatric wards nationwide. Administration: Authorities did not always conduct investigations into credible allegations of mistreatment. Prosecutors and police rarely attempt to find the disappeared or identify those responsible. The attorney general never properly implemented a 2018 reform intended to make the office more independent from the government and more accountable to victims and their families, human rights and rule-of-law groups report. 252 Sharp Street, Cooma, NSW, 2630. old corner campsite fall creek falls. The government investigated and prosecuted some of these crimes, but the vast majority remained uninvestigated and unprosecuted. But what I heard from interlocutors in Mexico wasa most problematic vision of the U.S. Mexico Bicentennial Framework by the Mexican government namely, that the United States should only take care of its own territory by reducing drug demand and retail in the United States and the flows of drug money and weapons to Mexico, while Mexico will do whatever it wants, without U.S. input, in Mexico. This piece was originally published by Mexico Today. Several outbreaks of COVID-19 resulted in multiple deaths. Criminal cartels, common criminals, and sometimes police and migration officials regularly target people migrating through Mexico to rob, kidnap, extort, rape, or kill them. In June the government amended the General Law on Womens Access to a Life Free of Violence to include media and digital violence as a form of violence against women. The government did not effectively enforce the law. There were no reports of political prisoners or detainees. The investigation continued as of August 30. According to the victims mother, police detained and interrogated him without reasonable suspicion or probable cause. Of the 32 states, 29 stipulate similar penalties, although sentences were often more lenient. The states where the most political violence occurred were Veracruz, followed by Guerrero and Guanajuato. Women, children, indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, LGBTQI+ persons, and migrants (including men, women, and children) were the most vulnerable to forced labor (see section 7.c.). Unlike the Federal Police which the Lpez Obrador administration dismantled, the National Guard is nominally supposed to be stationed in a locality permanently. The CNB reported that during that period, of the 3,025 bodies exhumed, authorities identified 1,153 and returned 822 to their families. Some public officials blocked critical journalists and media from following their social media accounts. The National Guard, which began operations in 2019, is a civilian institution reporting to the Secretariat of Public Security and Civil Protection. The states with the most teenage pregnancies were Chiapas, Coahuila, and Guerrero, and Tabasco. As of July the CNB reported that there were 89,572 missing or disappeared persons in the country. This requirement was not followed in all cases, particularly in remote areas of the country. On August 7, Yucatan governor Mauricio Villa announced the arrest of four police officers, but on August 14, a judge set them free due to a lack of evidence. If separating from your travel group, send a friend your GPS location. In March police officers broke the neck of Salvadoran refugee Victoria Salazar. Since its creation in 2010 through August 2021, the federal Special Prosecutors Office to investigate crimes against journalists has opened more than 3,362 investigations, brought 265 charges for crimes, and obtained 25 convictions. Violent crime and gang activity are common in parts of Jalisco state. Many suffered abuses from criminal cartels or Mexican authorities. For example, Felipe Orozco, hospitalized multiple times for mental disabilities, reported that mental health professionals from a psychiatric hospital in Puebla shackled him naked with a padlock during the nights for two and one-half weeks. The law prohibits employers from intervening in union affairs or interfering with union activities, including through implicit or explicit reprisals against workers. Many workers were compelled into forced labor through debt bondage, threats of violence, and nonpayment of wages by recruiters and employers. Keep traveling companions and family back home informed of your travel plans. The Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System reported 23,907 domestic violence cases in May, an all-time monthly record. The government increased the CNB budget 8 percent over the 2020 budget. Underneath that macro-war, many violent micro-conflicts play out in Mexico, as smaller criminal groups fight over drug, extortion, and other criminal markets and seek to control local politicians and populations. Black migrants reported migration authorities detained Black migrants for longer periods than other migrants. Informal workers lacked access to social protection mechanisms such as health care and retirement benefits. Arbitrary Deprivation of Life and Other Unlawful or Politically Motivated Killings, c. Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Arrest Procedures and Treatment of Detainees, f. Arbitrary or Unlawful Interference with Privacy, Family, Home, or Correspondence, a. Google received more removal requests from government agents in 2020 than in any other year except 2014. Some areas of Mexico have increased risk of crime and kidnapping. The survey also reported that persons with darker skin completed 6.5 years of schooling, while those with white skin completed 10 years. Only 3 in 10 say New Mexico's a safe place to live and higher crime rates may explain statewide worry about safety. Schools were closed in Mexico from March 2020 to August 2021, and classes were broadcast on television and radio. Climate change is expected to increase the severity of extreme weather events, requiring steps by the government to protect at-risk populations from their foreseeable harms, including food insecurity due to rising temperatures and droughts impacting crops. The federal government created a National System for the Search of Missing Persons as required by law, but as of August it had not established the required National Forensic Data Bank. In addition to shelters, womens justice centers provided services including legal, psychological, and protective; however, the number of cases far surpassed institutional capacity. Even as travel is discouraged to all of Mexico because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. State Department continues to update its warnings concerning kidnappings and . Approximately 23 percent of informal workers (6.8 million persons) were employed by formal businesses or organizations but paid in cash off the books to evade taxes and social security payments. The law allows for the reinstatement of workers if the CAB finds the employer fired the worker without just cause and the worker requests reinstatement; however, the law also exempts broad categories of employees from this protection, including so-called employees of confidence and workers in the job for less than one year. There were reports the government did not always investigate and punish those complicit in abuses against LGBTQI+ persons, especially outside Mexico City. In Guadalajara, territorial battles between criminal groups take place in tourist areas. Sometimes family members arranged marriages for girls younger than 18. In August 2021, President Lpez Obrador held a referendum on whether past political actors since 1988 should be tried for crimes including electoral fraud, corruption, and loss of lives to neoliberalism. The most common reason to remove content was defamation, followed by privacy and security. The STPS has the authority to order labor inspections at any time in the event of labor law violations, imminent risk to employees, or workplace accidents. In 2018, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a transgender person from Veracruz who contended that in refusing to change their name and gender marker on their birth certificate, the municipal Civil Registry had violated their rights. Under past governments, charging the military with these tasks has contributed to serious cover-ups of human rights abuses. As a result he was forced to urinate and defecate in his bed, according to Human Rights Watch. In July the army provided reparations to two of the three families of persons killed in July 2020 by soldiers in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, during an encounter with suspected cartel members. Mexico endorsed the World Health Organizations Solidarity Call to Action for the Covid-19 Technology Access Pool, an initiative to realize equitable global access to COVID-19 health technologies through pooling of knowledge, intellectual property and data., Human Rights Watch defends the rights of people in close to 100 countries worldwide, spotlighting abuses and bringing perpetrators to justice, Human Rights Watch is a 501(C)(3)nonprofit registered in the US under EIN: 13-2875808, Military Abuses and Extrajudicial Killings, Attacks on Journalists and Human Rights Defenders, Key International Actors and Foreign Policy. For example, journalists in Nogales, Sonora, said they were aware of unspoken red lines in covering organized crime and that crossing lines, such as mentioning the name of an alleged assailant, could result in personal harm. Share this via Telegram In April the STPS suspended a legitimization vote at the General Motors plant in Silao, Guanajuato, due to serious irregularities during the vote. The federal government and states continued to implement the law on forced disappearances. In most states alternative justice centers employed mechanisms such as mediation, negotiation, and restorative justice to resolve minor offenses outside the court system. In July the Supreme Court ruled that authorities at all levels must investigate enforced disappearances, search for disappeared persons, and inform victims of the process. The top destination was Cancn and the Mayan Riviera, which received 2.4 million people, according to Mexico's tourism office. "This province . According to Google Report, Google received 24 requests from authorities in 2020 to remove content 13 from police, eight from government officials, and three from unspecified sources. The National Shelter Network reported that the network assisted 12,000 women and children between January and August. Country Summary: Violent crime such as homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery is widespread and common in Mexico. The stories are sobering. The plan is insufficient to meet the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C, according to the Climate Action Tracker. The Secretariat of National Defense and Secretariat of the Navy also play a role in domestic security, particularly in combating organized criminal groups. Chiapas state Exercise Increased Caution. Children constituted 19 percent of irregular migrant flows identified by authorities; 30 percent of them were unaccompanied. In July a joint investigation by media outlets reported a leaked Pegasus list of more than 15,000 individuals as possible targets for surveillance in 2016 and 2017. . The law states that the principle of gender parity should be observed in the designation of cabinet members, selection of candidates for public office by every political party, and designation of members of the judiciary. Indigenous defendants who did not speak Spanish sometimes were unaware of the status of their cases and were convicted without fully understanding the documents they were instructed to sign. There were high rates of impunity for these crimes, consistent with high impunity rates for all crimes. Cabo's vibrant nightlife, sceneries, and welcoming natives might force you to reconsider canceling your planned vacation. Review the. Some prisons were undersubscribed, while others were overcrowded. The Puebla state government sued the news outlet E-Consulta seven times due to its reporting. In July 2021, the president proposed formally placing the National Guard under military control. Defendants have the right to an attorney of their choice at all stages of criminal proceedings. Social programs to combat child labor did not address all sectors where child labor occurred. March 01 , 2023. State and federal prosecutors are independent of the executive branch and have the final authority to investigate and prosecute security force abuses. With Autocrats on the Defensive, Can Democrats Rise to the Occasion. Office of the Special Envoy for Critical and Emerging Technology, Office of the U.S. Civil society groups claimed police routinely subjected LGBTQI+ persons to mistreatment while in custody. Recent Elections: International observers considered the midterm elections (legislative, gubernatorial, and local) to be generally free and fair, with only minor reports of irregularities. Posted 10:45 a.m. Rather than receiving daily wages once a week, as mandated by law, day laborers had to meet certain harvest quotas to receive the promised wage. Penalties for violations of the law were commensurate with those for other similar laws. Subcontracting is allowed if it is used to perform specialized services unrelated to the main economic activity of businesses or public institutions. Impunity for torture was prevalent among the security forces. Most National Guard personnel are seconded from the army and navy and have the option to return to their services after five years. On July 14, 10 indigenous men from the Yaqui tribe living in Sonora disappeared while transporting cattle in Bacum. The government continued implementing the labor reforms in a phased manner, with the reform coming online in eight states in November 2020, and phase two started on November 3 with 13 states, and phase three to be concluded on May 1, 2022, for the remaining states. Links to external websites are provided as a convenience and should not be construed as an endorsement by the U.S. Department of State of the views or products contained therein. Police, the military, and criminal groups are responsible for many disappearances. The situation of agricultural workers remained particularly precarious, with similar patterns of exploitation throughout the sector. The more recent map is here. In July the Mexico City congress passed a law to provide, promote, and protect LGBTQI+ human rights. Abortion access varies by state. Children performed dangerous tasks in agriculture in the production of beans, chili peppers, coffee, cucumbers, eggplants, melons, onions, tomatoes, and tobacco. The Catholic Multimedia Center reported that criminal groups harassed priests and other religious leaders in some parts of the country and subjected them to extortion, death threats, and intimidation. In Baja California Sur, Guanajuato, Michoacan, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, and Yucatan, the crimes of defamation and libel are prosecuted, with penalties ranging from three days to five years in prison and fines for committing defamation or slander, both considered crimes against honor. Slander is punishable under the criminal laws of the states of Campeche, Nuevo Leon, Sonora, Yucatan, and Zacatecas, with sentences ranging from three months to six years in prison and fines. Observers noted that it also increased the likelihood of work-related illness and injury. According to the Mexican Statistical Agency (INEGI) in Mexico there were a total of 36,773 homicides in 2020, according to the SESNSP there were a total of 34,555 murders that same year. Factors associated with maternal deaths included parents with lower levels of education, poor hospital infrastructure and human capacity, and lack of access to maternity care, especially for pregnant women living in rural areas. U.S. government employees may not travel between cities after dark, may not hail taxis on the street, and must rely on dispatched vehicles, including app-based services like Uber, and regulated taxi stands. The Lpez Obrador administration has been illegally expelling thousands of asylum seekers to Guatemala without due process, including many who were first expelled from the US into the custody of Mexican authorities. U.S. citizens and LPRs have been victims of kidnapping in previous years. They lack access to buildings, transportation, and public spaces. In August the federal government signed a public-private partnership agreement with the Teleton Institute for it to provide rehabilitation services to 20,000 pension-receiving children. Especially for visitors, divers, cruisers, and all tourists. As with journalists, violence against human rights defenders is rarely investigated or prosecuted. The governments National Council of Norms and Labor Competencies certified law enforcement internal affairs investigators and created standard internal affairs training to promote transparency and accountability. The majority are between 15 and 30 years old, from lower income families, the CNB reports. While on average informal workers earned less than the minimum wage, in some areas, such as near the northern border, informal employment could pay more than formal employment in the manufacturing sector. Organized criminal groups reportedly continued to oversee illicit activities from within penitentiary walls, and rival drug cartel members often fought in prison. Other ways to share 11 hijackings per day. From 2006 to 2020, at least 50,000 bodies passed through the custody of state and local forensic medical services without being properly identified. Authorities sometimes failed to respect court orders, and arrest warrants were sometimes ignored. Share this via LinkedIn Mexican National Guard members arrest a migrant who tried crossing the Ro Bravo in Ciudad Jurez, Mexico on April 19, 2021, Share this via Facebook Human rights violationsincluding torture, enforced disappearances, abuses against migrants, extrajudicial killings, gender-based violence, and attacks on independent journalists and human rights defendershave continued under President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador, who took office in December 2018. This was a common practice in the maquiladora sector, in which employers forced workers to take leave at low moments in the production cycle and obliged them to work in peak seasons, including the Christmas holiday period, without the corresponding triple pay mandated by law for voluntary overtime on national holidays. U.S. government employees may travel to other parts of Sonora state in compliance with the above restrictions, including tourist areas in: Hermosillo, Bahia de Kino, and Puerto Penasco. billy koumetio height in ft Violent crime and gang activity are common. Across the criminal justice system, many actors lacked the necessary training and capacity to carry out their duties fairly and consistently in line with the principle of equal justice. In 2019 a Mexico City court ordered academic Sergio Aguayo, a columnist of the daily newspaper Reforma, to pay a fine of 10 million pesos ($530,000) in moral damages to former Coahuila governor Humberto Moreira. Corruption: There were numerous reports of government corruption during the year. Indigenous persons in isolated regions reported incidents of forced labor in which cartel members forced them to perform illicit activities or face death. There are no restrictions on travel for U.S. government employees in Morelos state. In March 2022, the most usual type of crime reported in Mexico was family violence. This includes information about the geographic distribution of S&E activities; science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) employment opportunities; geographic . Federal and state labor inspectorates conducted nearly 30,000 labor inspections in formally registered businesses in 2020 but did not conduct inspections in the informal sector. Most internal affairs units, however, were insufficiently staffed and funded. In October 2020 authorities announced they would release Brenda Quevedo Cruz, who had been in prison without trial since 2007. Under the accusatorial system, judges conduct all hearings and trials and follow the principles of public access and cross-examination. In October and November, I spent several weeks in various parts of Mexico researching the evolution of crime and security policies. 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