Cancun DIF Detects 14 Children During Child Labor Prevention Efforts

Cancún, Quintana Roo — The Benito Juárez DIF — the municipal family welfare agency — identified 14 children from four families during August as part of its child labor prevention and response operations in Cancún.

Director Marisol Sendo Rodríguez said the group included eight boys and six girls, all found during the summer vacation period in cases related to families selling goods on public streets.

She said the children’s presence may be linked to their families’ economic situation, and that intervention does not automatically result in admission to the temporary shelter.

Two of the children lacked birth certificates. Sendo Rodríguez said the agency is providing families with support through its legal office and the civil registry to resolve their documentation status.

The DIF has a specialized child labor prevention team that performs social work and reviews each family’s particular conditions, she added.

When a report comes in through the 911 emergency line, an initial response is activated, followed by officers trained in child protection and social workers.

During the process, officials examine family structure, economic background, available support networks, and the documentation of the children and teenagers.

Sendo Rodríguez said it is common during school vacations to see children accompanying parents who sell goods on the street, so each case is evaluated before deciding which measures are appropriate.

The agency also considers whether parents left their children alone due to work or took them along for a commercial activity, as well as safety conditions in the home.

The priority, she said, is to identify a support network that allows children and teenagers to stay in a safe family environment before considering admission to the temporary shelter.

The shelter currently houses 121 children and teenagers, according to Sendo Rodríguez.

She noted that there was no significant rise in reports of violence against minors during the holiday period.