Mexico Condemns Army Sexual Violence in Cozumel

MEXICO CITY — The Government of Mexico, through the National System for the Integral Protection of Children and Adolescents (SIPINNA), has expressed its firmest condemnation and absolute indignation regarding the alleged acts of sexual violence committed by a member of the Mexican Army against a girl in the municipality of Cozumel, Quintana Roo.

Lorena Villavicencio Ayala, the Executive Secretary of the National System for the Integral Protection of Children and Adolescents, stated that this act represents a serious violation of the human rights of children and constitutes an affront to the rule of law. "No authority, civil or military, can be above the constitutional framework that protects girls, boys, and adolescents in our country," Villavicencio Ayala said.

In strict compliance with the principle of the superior interest of the child, SIPINNA reiterated that the eradication of sexual violence against children and adolescents is a priority of the Mexican State, as instructed by the President of the Republic.

This National System is in inter-institutional coordination with the Government of the State of Quintana Roo, headed by Governor Mara Lezama, as well as with the state-level SIPINNA and the State Attorney General's Office, in order to guarantee the exhaustive clarification of the facts, the integral restitution of the victim's rights, and the implementation of measures of non-repetition.

From SIPINNA, we recognize the efforts that the state government has been making to combat child sexual violence, trafficking, and sex tourism in a head-on manner.

"Girls, boys, and adolescents in Mexico have the right to live in safe environments, free from violence, where they are respected, listened to, and guaranteed their integral development," the statement continued.

Finally, Villavicencio Ayala said that the Government of Mexico will not allow these forms of violence to be normalized.