Cancún, Quintana Roo — As part of preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Governor Mara Lezama Espinosa presented a new protocol to detect, assist, and refer cases involving children and adolescents at mass events.
The Protocol for Detection, Assistance and Referral of Cases for the Safeguarding of Children and Adolescents in Mass Events was unveiled during a permanent session of the State Security Committee for the 2026 World Cup. Lezama said the tool is the result of collaboration between the DIF Quintana Roo system and UNICEF Mexico, establishing clear action routes to identify risks, provide immediate care, file complaints, and refer cases to the appropriate authorities through coordination among all three levels of government.
“Quintana Roo is a destination that welcomes the world every day. Millions of people pass through our airports, highways, public spaces, and high-traffic venues. That capacity to receive also demands greater responsibility — so that predators know that here it is punished, that there is a protocol to protect children and adolescents,” Lezama said.
The governor was accompanied by Verónica Lezama Espinosa, honorary president of the DIF Quintana Roo system, and María Fernanda Zebadúa, child protection associate for UNICEF Mexico. Lezama noted that the state’s tourism vocation carries an additional responsibility for child protection.
The protocol can be activated during pre-World Cup activities, throughout the tournament, and at any mass event in the state, ensuring a coordinated and specialized response to potential risks. Measures include immediate medical attention, search and location of missing children, detection of possible human trafficking for sexual exploitation, early identification of child labor, and situations involving alcohol or psychoactive substance use, as well as any other rights violations.
Lezama said the strategy will strengthen institutional response capacity and standardize action criteria across the state’s 11 municipalities. “We are preparing to welcome the world, but above all we are preparing to protect what is most valuable: our girls, our boys, and our adolescents,” she said.
The permanent State Security Committee for the 2026 World Cup is part of the national Kukulcán Plan, a security strategy led by President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, aimed at ensuring safety throughout the country and in Quintana Roo.
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