The mobility of migrant children under 12 years of age multiplied by six in 2021, from 4,985 infants in 2020 to 32,309 this year, the Save The Children organization warned on Thursday.
On the occasion of Migrant’s Day, which is commemorated on December 18, the organization highlighted in a statement that the number of minors and adolescents who requested asylum in Mexico also increased, as it increased from 8,173 in 2020 to 29,467 between January and January alone. November of this 2021.
The agency recalled that this will be the second year in which this date is commemorated in the context of a pandemic, which has shown that far from stopping or containing forced migration “it has only worsened its causes and left girls, boys, and girls more vulnerable. teenagers”.
He affirmed that the consequent deterioration of sanitary conditions and the exacerbation of the economic crisis have become part of the list of reasons why girls, boys, and their families are forced to leave their homes.
“In addition to this, already existing causes prior to covid-19, such as violence and climate change, were much more accentuated as a result of this event,” he said.
He denounced that the journey in Mexico also continues to worsen, as government restrictions have forced migrants to make their way through more dangerous routes.
He recalled that the accident that occurred in Chiapas last Thursday -with 56 people killed, 22 adolescents injured and a 3-year-old boy injured-, “evidence that government institutions contribute, by action or omission, with the violation of the rights of the migrant children and their families “.
Mariana Menéndez, CEO of Save the Children in Mexico, pointed out that migrant girls and boys must face higher risk situations and, now, there is also the reactivation of the Stay in Mexico program, which violates, she said, the principles of international protection.
“Furthermore, our country does not have the infrastructure capacities or the resources to guarantee the rights of migrant children by itself, ” he added.
Menéndez pointed out that the Mexican State must build those capacities while demanding that the United States eliminate the MPP (Migrant Protection Protocols in English) and coordinate efforts to protect migrant children and adolescents.
Against this background, Save The Children reiterated its call to the Mexican Government to comply with the legal provisions regarding protection and access to the rights of children and adolescents in mobility through the fulfillment of various actions.
Among them, demanding the end of the “Stay in Mexico” program, avoiding and rejecting any discriminatory and xenophobic behavior, and generating strategies for greater social integration.
In addition to promoting a culture of peace and refraining from carrying out actions that imply the use of force and immigration restraint, and designing and implementing actions for international protection and temporary or permanent immigration regularization of migrant minors.
Since Joe Biden’s arrival in the White House last January, the region has experienced an unprecedented migratory flow, as Mexico has intercepted 228,115 migrants and deported 82,627 from January to October 2021, numbers not seen in more than 15 years.
In addition, 123,000 migrants requested refuge in the first 11 months of 2021 in Mexico, another absolute record, since in previous years there were about 40,000 requests.
