Playa del Carmen to sanction children who abandon elderly parents

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, QR. — The Commission for Family Development and Vulnerable Groups of the Playa del Carmen City Council announced that in 2026 it will push for strict enforcement of the law against children who fail to support their parents, particularly when it involves elderly adults in situations of abandonment. The measure aims to address a social problem that, according to municipal authorities, has increased in recent years.

Councilwoman Carmen Angelina Medina, president of the commission, reported that multiple cases have been detected of children who do not support their parents, despite these parents being elderly and requiring economic, medical, and housing support. She stated that this situation violates the basic rights of elderly adults and contravenes what is established in current legislation.

Children Who Fail to Support Their Parents Will Be Forced to Comply with the Law

In this sense, she explained that the commission will seek approaches with legal institutions to guarantee compliance with Article 301 of the Federal Civil Code, which establishes the legal obligation of children to provide food, housing, and medical care to their parents when they need it. The official emphasized that the law is clear and that this is not a revenue-raising measure, but rather one of social justice in the face of children who do not support their parents.

Medina detailed that in recent months, various testimonies from elderly adults denouncing abandonment not only by their children but also by grandchildren have reached the commission, which worsens the family and social problem. These cases, she said, demonstrate the need to strengthen public policies for the protection of this sector of the population.

In parallel, the councilwoman raised the importance of resuming the project to create a shelter for abandoned elderly adults. She specified that although Playa del Carmen has a Casa del Adulto Mayor (Elderly Adult Home), it functions only as a space for recreational activities and not as a permanent residence for those who lack a home or family support.

She indicated that a shelter of this nature would also allow addressing the increase in elderly adults in street situations that has been recorded in the city. She added that this action would be complementary to the enforcement of the law against children who do not support their parents, as it would offer an alternative for comprehensive care.

Finally, the commission president affirmed that work is already underway on the design of new public policies aimed at preventing abandonment and guaranteeing dignified conditions for elderly adults. She stressed that the objective is to begin tackling at its root a social phenomenon that is increasing and that originates from the irresponsibility of children who do not support their parents.