MEXICO CITY—As children on the move face heightened risks and discrimination linked to their displacement and individual circumstances, a decisive government response is needed to ensure their protection. In a new report with recommendations for the Mexican government, Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) has identified three strategic priorities: safe and dignified reception, rights protection, and effective social inclusion.
Drawing on KIND’s daily work with children for whom Mexico is a country of origin, transit, destination or return – as well as KIND’s regional and global experience – the report highlights safety challenges for these children, including the 115,622 Mexican children returned from the United States between 2020 and 2024, more than half of whom were unaccompanied adolescents. KIND urges the Mexican government to strengthen institutions, secure legal identity and protection, ensure access to essential services, and safeguard children’s rights and well-being.
Access the Report Here
“Building on Mexico’s existing legal framework, we have the opportunity to strengthen it to better safeguard children on the move,” said Elba Coria Márquez, KIND’s Director of Advocacy in Mexico. “Our recommendations seek to ensure that the Mexican government’s policies and protocols not only protect these vulnerable children’s rights, but also place their safety, well-being, and best interests at the heart of decision-making and remain attentive to the different stages of children’s lives and development.”
The report’s recommendations for the Mexican government are applicable to unaccompanied and separated children around the world. They include:
- Adopt and enforce child-centered policies and protection measures, including family-based and community-based alternative care models, that uphold the rights of migrant, asylum-seeking and refugee children, whether unaccompanied, separated, or at risk of separation.
- Guarantee access to identity documents, asylum, health care, and education, with trained professionals able to address children’s specific needs.
- Prioritize family unity and reunification while ensuring children’s meaningful participation in decisions that affect them.
- Strengthen collaboration across government, civil society, and international agencies to provide assistance, legal defense, and protection from gender-based violence.
KIND calls on the Mexican government to take swift, coordinated measures to implement these recommendations and ensure that every child on the move in Mexico can grow up with safety, dignity, and opportunity.
For more information or to schedule an interview with a KIND spokesperson, please contact Megan McKenna at mmckenna@supportkind.org.
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Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) is the preeminent international nongovernmental organization devoted to the protection of unaccompanied and separated children. In 2008, KIND was founded by the Microsoft Corporation and Co-Founder and Patron Angelina Jolie to address the gap in legal services for unaccompanied children. Today, KIND has offices and staff across the United States, Mexico, Central America, and Europe.