Quintana Roo Ranks Third Nationally in Corruption of Minors With 182 Cases

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Quintana Roo remains among Mexico’s worst states for the crime of corruption of minors, with 182 investigation files opened between January and August 2026, according to the report “Crimes Against Girls, Boys and Adolescents in Mexico through August 2026” by the Network for the Rights of Children in Mexico (Redim), based on data from the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System (Sesnsp).

The report counted 1,928 victims aged 0 to 17 nationwide for the offense during the first eight months of the year — an average of eight children and adolescents affected every day.

Guanajuato, Mexico City and Quintana Roo accounted for nearly half of all files registered nationwide. Guanajuato leads with 579 investigations, followed by the capital with 283 and Quintana Roo with 182, according to common-jurisdiction crime incidence tables.

Though it ranks third in total files, Quintana Roo has the highest rate: 90 cases per 100,000 women, compared with two in Yucatán and nine in Campeche. The state also records the highest incidence of trafficking and corruption of minors on the Yucatan Peninsula.

Cancún Accounts for Most Cases

At the municipal level, Celaya, Guanajuato, recorded the most cases in the country, followed by Benito Juárez, home to Cancún, and Irapuato. More than 60 percent of Quintana Roo’s 182 files are concentrated in Benito Juárez.

Sesnsp reported that through August the state recorded 713 underage victims of common-jurisdiction crimes: 380 women and 333 men. Of that total, 74 involved corruption of minors, the second most frequent offense against this group after injuries, which accounted for 243 victims.

The law defines corruption of minors to include inducing an underage person into drunkenness, drug use, begging, criminal activity, gang membership or sexual practices. Specialists and child-rights organizations say the charge is also used to classify cases tied to the recruitment of minors, in the absence of a specific criminal offense for that conduct.

Poverty and Family Breakdown Cited

Psychologist and criminal defense lawyer Carolina Recillas said factors such as poverty and family abandonment can increase the vulnerability of children and adolescents to criminal groups.

“Crime takes advantage of that vulnerability to recruit young people; the situation in Cancún is serious because many children are alone due to family breakdown, and that child captivity turns many neighborhoods into risk zones,” she said.

She added that criminal organizations look for places where they have easier access to minors and young people, and linked the problem to reported disappearances of minors in the state.

Eulises García, director of outreach for the state’s College of Scientific and Technological Studies (CECyTE) in Quintana Roo, acknowledged that the problem poses a risk to society, particularly to the education sector and families.

“It is a reality that these criminal groups seek to capture our children and young people, offering them what looks like an easy way out of their economic needs but in fact drags them into a life of violence and danger,” he said.

Quintana Roo closed 2025 with 150 investigation files for corruption of minors. Redim warns that the offense is linked to the recruitment of children and adolescents by criminal groups.