On Tuesday, February 10, members of the Colima State Congress presented an initiative to prevent and eradicate the recruitment of children and adolescents by criminal groups in the state. The initiative proposes creating a new legal framework with a focus on prevention, inter-institutional coordination, and the restoration of children’s rights.
The proposal was presented by Representatives Israel González Mendoza and María Cristina Lupién Ventura, members of the Citizens’ Movement Parliamentary Group.
The initiative proposes enacting the Law to Prevent and Eradicate the Recruitment and Use of Children and Adolescents in the State of Colima.
The explanatory statement warns that child recruitment is one of the most serious forms of violence, as it disrupts children’s life plans, normalizes violence, and places them in contexts of exploitation, coercion, and criminality.
The document indicates that Colima faces high-risk structural conditions stemming from violence and the presence of organized crime, making a specific institutional response urgent.
As context, Colima has consistently ranked among the states with the highest rates of intentional homicide in the country in recent years, according to data from the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System, reflecting an environment of high social vulnerability.
Organizations such as the Network for Children’s Rights in Mexico have warned that states with these characteristics present conditions conducive to the recruitment of minors, due to factors such as school dropout, domestic violence, poverty, drug use, and the absence of institutional protection networks, particularly in municipalities like Manzanillo.
Although there are no precise official figures on the number of children and adolescents recruited in the state—because it is an underreported phenomenon—the initiative underscores the urgent need for a preventative law focused on the early detection of risks and the comprehensive care of victims.
The proposal does not create new crimes or encroach upon federal jurisdiction; rather, it establishes administrative responsibilities and coordination mechanisms among state agencies, municipalities, DIF (National System for Integral Family Development) systems, and educational and health authorities.
Its central pillars include the creation of a State Prevention Program, an Inter-institutional Commission, a State Information and Indicators System, as well as protocols for action and initiatives for educational reintegration and psychosocial support.
The initiative was referred to the relevant committees for analysis and review.
Source: milenio
