Cozumel’s Youth at Risk: Parties vs Protection

Cozumel, Mexico — Parents and neighbors are demanding firm action from the municipal government to guarantee safe environments for young people. While the municipal president of Cozumel, José Luis Chacón Méndez, showcases actions in favor of the youth—such as the purchase of air conditioning units for public schools—a concerning omission persists on the other side of his administration: a lack of action in the face of the proliferation of clandestine parties where alcohol and alleged illicit substances are sold to minors.

These celebrations, which take place in venues without visible permits and outside of standard operating hours, have been reported by parents and neighbors worried about the safety of Cozumel's youth. However, to date, there has been no firm stance from the City Council to stop these events, nor any operations to sanction the organizers.

A party was suspended last weekend where there was even a cover charge for entry, but such interventions had not occurred since April.

The most alarming issue is that the promoters and owners of these spaces appear to operate under the protection of the municipal authority, which has generated suspicions about a possible network of complicity or, at the very least, institutional negligence.

While investment is made to improve school infrastructure, outside the classroom, young people are allowed to be exposed to high-risk environments without regulation or protection.

The incongruence between the official discourse and the reality experienced by adolescents on the island calls into question the mayor's commitment to the comprehensive well-being of the youth. It is not enough to air-condition classrooms if, outside of them, free access to spaces where the consumption of alcohol and other substances is normalized is permitted.

The citizenry demands coherence, vigilance, and concrete actions that guarantee safe environments for young people, inside and outside of schools. Because supporting the youth is not just about equipping classrooms; it is about protecting their health, their integrity, and their future.