Child Rights in Mexico

Mexico has made important advances in promoting children’s health and education  - but stark inequalities and violence continue to stand in the way of children’s development. 54% of children live under the national poverty line. 

In Mexico, the Federal Labour Law prohibits children under the age of 15 to work and children between 15 and 17 may not participate in unhealthy or hazardous work or work more than six hours per day. Despite this law, around 3.2 million children between 5 and 17 years are employed in Mexico, a number expected to rise as economic and educational repercussions of COVID-19 continue to affect children. , a number expected to rise as economic and educational repercussions of COVID-19 continue to affect children. Of these,  700,000 are under the age of 14 and work in hazardous conditions. Many children work in the informal sector but there are also regular reports of children working in the international supply chain, particularly in the agriculture sector where child labour is prevalent.