Cozumel Mayor Criticized for Ignoring Child Safety

Cozumel, Mexico — Following a case of sexual abuse against a 9-year-old girl who was selling pork rinds in the center of Cozumel island, Municipal President José Luis Chacón Méndez has again demonstrated that his priority is not the well-being of children, but his public image. Far from assuming the responsibility that the City Council has in the protection of minors, the mayor limited himself to offering superficial advice: asking citizens not to buy products from children on the street.

With this, Chacón attempts to disguise as "strategy" what is in reality a lamentable disinterest in confronting the root causes of child labor and the lack of opportunities for hundreds of Cozumel families.

"If you see a minor selling pork rinds, candy, gum, do not buy from them, do not buy from them because what we are going to cause is that there will be more…," the municipal leader said verbatim, demonstrating that he prefers to blame the common citizen rather than accept his government's inability to guarantee the safety and well-being of children.

While municipal authorities wash their hands with banal declarations, the children of Cozumel remain exposed to dangers as grave as labor exploitation and sexual violence. This is a reality that will not be resolved with speeches or absurd prohibitions, but with serious public policies, programs to support families, and an institutional presence in the streets.

The mayor's lamentable statements were made last night, as indignation enveloped citizens who were protesting in front of the Military Garrison. Thanks to citizen mobilizations, the State Attorney General's Office took action and, within hours, announced that the alleged abuser had been detained and confirmed what citizens were shouting last night: he was an active-duty soldier.