* The present document is being issued without formal editing.

** The present document was submitted pursuant to the simplified reporting procedure. It contains the responses of the State party to the Committee’s list of issues prior to reporting ( CEDAW/C/MEX/QPR/10 ).

*** The annex to the present document may be accessed from the web page of the Committee.

Tenth periodic report submitted by Mexico under article 18 of the Convention, due in 2024 * , ** , ***

[Date received: 30 September 2024]

I.Introduction

1.Mexico has submitted nine periodic reports under the Convention. On 16 November 2018, the Commission for the Follow-up of the Observations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women was established within the National System for Equality between Women and Men. It is jointly coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Institute for Women.

2.The Commission is made up of 48 offices and agencies of the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government, which participate in six thematic working groups and two sub-working groups (see annex 1-A). During the 2018–2024 period, it held more than 79 meetings.

3.The establishment of the Commission and the preparation of the present report are part of the strategy of the Government of Mexico to safeguard the rights of girls, young women and women, placing the Convention and other international instruments at the centre of the National Policy for Equality between Women and Men.

4.In May 2024, Mexico submitted its national review report on the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which provides more detailed information on the areas covered in the present report.

5.In recognition of the role of the federative entities of Mexico in ensuring a comprehensive and effective response to preventing and eradicating gender-based violence, annex 1-B provides information on the local laws, care and support services, and public programmes and policies of those entities.

II.Replies to the list of issues prior to the submission of the report (CEDAW/C/MEX/QPR/10)

A.Paragraph 1

6.Mexico is a regional leader in statistics and in the mainstreaming of gender and intersectional perspectives in the production, analysis and dissemination of data, which contributes to public policies on gender equality.

7.In April 2024, the Specialized Technical Committee on Gender-Sensitive Reporting and the Executive Committee of the National Subsystem of Demographic and Social Information issued guidance on mainstreaming gender into the National System of Statistical and Geographical Information.

8.The National Institute of Statistics and Geography has tools for the collection and dissemination of data with gender and intersectional perspectives on, for example, sexual orientation and gender identity, household finances, use of time, financial inclusion, gender-based violence, discrimination, household income and expenditure, care, and the availability and use of information technology in households (see annex 1-C).

9.The Global Centre of Excellence on Gender Statistics of Mexico is led by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women).

Data and statistics

10.As of the second quarter of 2024, the population of Mexico stood at 129.9 million, 52.3 per cent of which were women. In 2020, of the 23,200,000 Indigenous persons in Mexico, 51.4 per cent were women; and, of the 6,179,890 persons with disabilities, 53 per cent were women.

11.In 2020, the self-identified Afro-Mexican population stood at 2,576,213, of which 1,297,617, or 50.4 per cent, were women. Between October 2021 and September 2022, 19 out of every 100 people responsible for agricultural production units were women.

B.Paragraph 2

Health

12.Structural changes have been made in the national health system to ensure that it is universal, equitable, comprehensive, sustainable, effective and of high quality, with a focus on vulnerable groups.

13.A total of 13 vaccines and 7 drugs have been approved for use against coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Between December 2020 and 2022, more than 209,673,612 vaccines were administered to 88,449,704 people, including children and adolescents, adults, older persons, persons with disabilities, pregnant women, Indigenous persons and migrants.

14.The Ministry of Health issued the national COVID-19 vaccination policy and an operational plan to provide care to migrants in the context of COVID-19.

15.A COVID-19 epidemiological surveillance system was set up in medical units under the “Bienestar” (Well-being) programme of the Mexican Social Security Institute. From March 2020 to July 2024, there were 25,302 confirmed cases among women (21.4 per cent of the total); of those, 1,868 were confirmed during pregnancy (7.4 per cent) and 141 during the post-partum period (0.6 per cent).

16.In 2020, the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples issued the Guide on the Care of Afro-Mexican and Indigenous Peoples and Communities in response to the COVID-19 health emergency.

17.In 2020, the Ministry of Health, the National Council for the Prevention of Discrimination and other organizations developed a guide on the protection of the health of persons with disabilities in the context of COVID-19.

18.Between 2018 and 2023, the Institute of Social Security and Social Services for State Employees provided support to 64,111 women and other persons able to gestate, through a dedicated pregnancy and childbirth hotline.

19.Sexual and reproductive healthcare services have been classified as essential. In 2020, guidelines on preventing and mitigating COVID-19 in pregnancy, childbirth, the post-partum period and newborn care settings were published.

20.In 2021, the Council for the Prevention and Control of HIV/AIDS and the National Centre for the Prevention and Control of HIV/AIDS launched a national strategy to ensure universal access to antiretroviral treatment for children and adolescents living with HIV.

21.The National Centre for the Prevention and Control of HIV/AIDS and the National Centre for Gender Equity and Reproductive Health have implemented strategies that include pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis for adolescents, with 3,313 patient-centred services available in the 32 federative entities. Since 2019, strategies have been in place to prevent vertical transmission of HIV from mother to child, benefiting 3,758 pregnant women. Since 2020, a total of $77,307,400 has been invested in economic support for cisgender and transgender women with HIV through Banco del Bienestar, a social banking institution.

Gender-based violence

22.The support programme for women’s organizations in the federative entities continued to provide support to women in situations of violence in 2,120 municipalities across Mexico. From December 2018 to June 2024, it provided 3,028,141 counselling and specialized care services, with 714,969 women receiving counselling and another 655,723 receiving specialized care.

Employment

23.In 2020, the Ministry of the Public Service, the Ministry of Health and the General Health Council signed agreements to temporarily suspend activities in the public, social and private sectors in order to avoid health risks.

24.Also in 2020, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and the Ministry of Health published a guide on responding to COVID-19 in the workplace, with a view to protecting vulnerable groups.

25.In 2021, the Federal Labour Act was amended to mainstream gender into its telecommuting provisions, in order to ensure work-life balance for those telecommuting.

Financial support and economic autonomy

26.Between 2019 and 2022, a total of 1,250,671 loans were granted under the Microcredits for Well-being Programme, 881,958, or 70.5 per cent, of which were granted to women.

27.In 2021, the Financial Support for Family Microenterprises Programme granted a total of 18,117 loans to women. Further information will be provided at a later date.

Education

28.In response to the suspension of educational activities in schools, the Ministry of Public Education implemented a home-learning strategy to provide basic education, through television, the Internet, radio and free textbooks, as part of the “New Mexican School” model, which has a free digital platform.

29.More than 300 educational programmes were broadcast in 15 Indigenous languages through 18 radio stations in 15 federative entities, and 300,000 school kits were delivered to various communities.

Food

30.In 2020, the National System for the Comprehensive Development of the Family published a guide on preventative measures and recommendations for the operation of social food assistance and community development programmes in the context of COVID-19, and a practical guide on its food programmes in the context of COVID‑19, as part of the implementation of the Comprehensive Strategy for Social Food Assistance and Community Development, which contributed to the nutrition of children and pregnant or breastfeeding women.

31.In April 2024, the General Act on Adequate and Sustainable Food, aimed at mainstreaming gender into the national food policy, was adopted.

Justice

32.The federal judiciary has promoted digital justice during trials, proceedings and appeals; hearings of the Supreme Court and the collegiate circuit courts have been held virtually. Legal search engines and consultation systems have been improved. In 2020, the Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary approved guidelines for online proceedings on electoral matters.

33.Between 2019 and 2020, the number of medical, psychological, administration of justice and expert services, as well as shelters, at the Women’s Justice Centres increased by 5.4%.

Social programmes

34.The following social programmes have operated continuously: a pension programme for the welfare of senior citizens, a welfare allowance programme for persons with permanent disabilities, the Benito Juárez welfare scholarship programme, a welfare programme for the children of working mothers; a farming for well-being programme and the Sembrando Vida (Sowing Life) Programme.

C.Paragraph 3

3 (a)

35.The following legislative reforms were implemented between 2021 and 2024:

(a)A chapter on the violation of sexual privacy was added to the Federal Criminal Code; the definition of the concept of gender-based crime was amended; and domestic violence and attacks with acid and similar substances, among other acts, were criminalized;

(b)In June 2023, the National Code for Civil and Family Procedures, which protects various rights of women, including access to justice, and provides for gender-responsive oral proceedings, was issued;

(c)The Federal Labour Act was amended to use a gender-neutral term for “workers” and to introduce the concept of “female head of household”;

(d)The Federal Act on the Prevention and Elimination of Discrimination was amended to make the prohibition, denial, limitation or restriction of breastfeeding in public places an act of discrimination;

(e)The General Act on Social Communication and the Science and Technology Act were amended to include inclusive language;

(f)The Federal Labour Act and the Social Security Act were amended to use a gender-neutral term for “farm workers”;

(g)The National Human Rights Commission Act was amended to establish gender parity as a principle that should govern all public affairs;

(h)The General Act on Women’s Access to a Life Free from Violence was amended to establish that Women’s Justice Centres shall provide free legal advice services, legal representation and access to justice through bodies of the Federal Prosecution Service specialized in gender-based violence, and shall facilitate access to justice 24 hours a day, every day of the year. The Act was also amended to provide for the elimination of sexual harassment in public spaces;

(i)Other reforms were also carried out and are referenced throughout the present report.

36.In 2024, the Senate approved the repeal of article 158 of the Federal Civil Code, under which women were required to wait 300 days to remarry following a divorce, unless they had children during that period. The associated legislative process is under way.

3 (b)

37.The National Council for the Prevention of Discrimination is responsible for the implementation of the anti-discrimination policy of Mexico. Among its functions, it receives and resolves complaints of alleged discriminatory acts committed by private parties, whether individuals or legal persons, federal public servants and federal public authorities.

38.As part of that administrative procedure, there may be a conciliation process between the parties. However, if a discriminatory act is found to have been committed, the Council may issue a decision ordering administrative and reparation measures. Between 2018 and 2023, a total of 981 complaints regarding alleged acts of discrimination against women were filed; the cases were mainly related to pregnancy, disabilities, health conditions and age.

39.A bill to amend article 27 of the Organic Act on the Federal Public Administration, repeal the Federal Act on the Prevention and Elimination of Discrimination and enact a new law setting out a sanctioning model to ensure the right to equality and non-discrimination and strengthening the institutional framework of the National Council for the Prevention of Discrimination, is currently going through the legislative process.

3 (c)

40.One of the objectives of the National Programme for Equality between Women and Men for the period 2020–2024 is to create conditions to advance substantive equality and non-discrimination from gender, intersectional and multicultural perspectives.

41.In 2022, the National Institute for Women and the National Council for the Prevention of Discrimination signed a collaboration agreement to combat violence and discrimination based on stereotypes.

42.In 2023, an action protocol for ethics committees on handling complaints and preventing acts of discrimination was adopted, with the aim of fostering a culture in which discrimination in public service is reported.

43.Opportunities to avoid discrimination in the federal administration were identified in a catalogue of practices for transforming the organizational climate and culture for the period 2023–2024, issued by the Ministry of the Public Service.

44.In addition, the National Council for the Evaluation of Social Development Policy made available the results of a survey on organizational climate and culture.

45.Following a 2019 reform to achieve gender parity across the board, women have equal participation and representation in political life.

D.Paragraph 4

4 (a)

46.In 2010, Women’s Justice Centres were set up by the National Commission for the Prevention and Elimination of Violence against Women. There are 70 such Centres in the 32 federative entities. Between 2019 and 2023, 399.2 million pesos were allocated to the Centres from the Public Security Contributions Fund of the 32 federative entities. From December 2018 to June 2024, the Centres provided support to 1,228,360 women through 3,122,000 comprehensive free services.

47.Between 2020 and 2024, the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System and the National Commission for the Prevention and Elimination of Violence against Women promoted the certification of the Centres under the institutional integrity system. Between 2018 and 2023, a total of 37 Centres were certified and 51 were recertified.

48.Gender-sensitive variables in relation to alleged criminal acts brought before federal and local judicial institutions are defined under the National Prosecution Statistics System.

49.Members of the federal and state-level judicial institutions receive continuous training. Between 2018 and 2024, the Supreme Court rolled out training to strengthen the capacity of the judicial function in relation to gender, through virtual, in-person and asynchronous courses and workshops. Between 2018 and 2024, local prosecutors’ offices trained 152,087 public servants (see annex 1-D).

4 (b)

50.In 2020, the Supreme Court published an updated version of the protocol for judging with a gender perspective, which contains additional information on the approach, as well as its scope and mandatory application for judges in Mexico. The Supreme Court has a focused strategy to strengthen protocols, standards and judicial precedents (see annex 1-E).

51.In 2021, the Supreme Court launched a legal search tool containing up-to-date public information on the rulings of the Court. The tool complements the “Juris Lex” platform and provides access to rulings by thematic area, with a section on gender equality.

52.The Council of the Federal Judiciary is collaborating with the German Agency for International Cooperation on a project aimed at strengthening human rights in the federal justice system.

E.Paragraph 5

5 (a)

53.As part of the implementation of the National Policy for Equality between Women and Men, the National Institute for Women coordinates the National System for Equality between Women and Men, made up of 51 agencies of the federal administration, in collaboration with the legislative and judicial branches, and has reached a high level of engagement and coordination in its efforts to mainstream the gender perspective.

54.The 2023 budget of the National Institute for Women, under the annex on pro‑equality expenditures (annex 13) of the federal budget, was 926,688,811 pesos.

55.The National Institute for Women is the coordinator of the National Programme for Equality between Women and Men, which is implemented by 49 bodies of the federal administration, three autonomous bodies and the three branches of government. The Programme is based on the National Development Plan for 2019–2024 and was the outcome of 32 national forums, during which more than 4,000 women were consulted.

56.Gender equality units, or their counterparts in the federal administration, promote gender mainstreaming and contribute to the National Policy for Equality between Women and Men and the National Programme for Equality between Women and Men. The number of such units has increased by 259.2 per cent, from 76 in 2018 to 201 in 2024. A practical guide on setting up and strengthening gender equality units has been developed.

57.The National Institute for Women has developed national programmes, as well as models for providing support and model laws in various areas, to promote legal harmonization and the standardization of gender-sensitive support services in the federative entities. These include the Programme for the Advancement, Well-being and Equality of Women and the Fund for the Well-being and Advancement of Women.

58.The Programme for the Advancement, Well-being and Equality of Women contributes, through the provision of grants and advisory services, to the implementation of projects that benefit women by the women’s organizations in the federative entities. Between 2019 and 2023, a total of 2,123 projects received support and 1,706 million pesos were transferred.

59.The Fund for the Well-being and Advancement of Women serves to strengthen compliance with the National Policy for Equality between Women and Men at the women’s organizations in the federative entities, and to implement measures to prevent teenage pregnancy and promote peacebuilding strategies. Between 2019 and 2024, it supported 189 projects in the 32 federative entities, for a total of 536 million pesos.

60.The consolidation of state-level equality programmes and plans is promoted under the Strategy for Strengthening State-level Systems for Equality between Women and Men.

61.In August 2024, it was announced that the National Institute for Women would soon be elevated to Ministry status.

5 (b)

Annex 13

62.Public resources to promote gender equality in various national institutions are earmarked under annex 13 of the federal budget. Between 2018 and 2024, the allocation of such resources increased by 36.7 per cent. The National Institute for Women and the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit monitor the implementation of the budgetary programmes set out in the annex.

63.Guidelines on mainstreaming gender in the rules of operation of federal budget programmes have been developed, and the General Budget and Fiscal Responsibility Act provides that gender must be mainstreamed in all budgets.

5 (c)

64.Through the Programme for the Advancement, Well-being and Equality of Women and the Fund for the Well-being and Advancement of Women, progress has been made in the regional implementation of gender equality policies, benefiting Indigenous and Afro-Mexican women.

5 (d)

65.The National Institute for Women has two subsidiary bodies representing civil society: an advisory council for women from various sectors of society; and a social council that analyses, evaluates and monitors the activities of the Institute.

66.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is taking measures to include civil society organizations in Mexican foreign policy. In 2018, it issued a decision on the reform of the guidelines on the participation of civil society organizations in foreign policy.

67.Civil society organizations have participated, for example, in the Mexican delegations to the Commission on the Status of Women and the Commission on Population and Development, as well as in other processes, such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in relation to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

68.In 2021, civil society organizations were involved in the organization of the Generation Equality Forum in Mexico and in France, which marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

69.Consultation processes among civil society organizations have been held with a view to promoting dialogue on the subject of compliance by Mexico with its international obligations and commitments and the multilateral agenda.

70.In May 2024, a forum was held with civil society organizations in line with the commitment to involve them in the participatory process of preparing the present report and the report on the Platform for Action (see annex 1-F). In addition, in June 2024, a forum was held with civil society organizations prior to the Third Ministerial Conference on Feminist Foreign Policy (see annex 1-G).

F.Paragraph 6

Executive branch

71.Since 2020, 2,819 competitive examinations have been held for women in the federal administration, mainly for managerial positions. As a result, 2,648 women have joined the administration and taken up leadership positions, accounting for 43 per cent of those positions in January 2023 compared with 28 per cent in 2019.

72.In 2021 and 2023, the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit issued calls for applications for the professional career service, aimed exclusively at women, in order to promote parity and ensure equal opportunities. Between 2020 and 2023, there were 31 such calls.

73.Mexico has had a feminist foreign policy since 2020. In May 2024, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a diagnostic report on affirmative action to achieve gender parity in admission to and promotion within the Mexican Foreign Service. In the 2024 competitive examination process, affirmative action was taken in granting, for the first time, a higher percentage of positions to women (equivalent to 60 per cent per rank).

G.Paragraph 7

7 (a)

74.Between 2018 and 2024, the Indigenous Cultural Radio Network, under the responsibility of the Indigenous Women’s Network (MIRA Network), produced and broadcast 195 programmes in the series “De la mano construimos caminos” (Hand in hand we are paving the way), on topics such as the rights of women and the elimination of violence.

75.Between 2019 and 2023, the National Institute for Women ran the “Con igualdad #AsíSí” campaign, on care, labour equality and decision-making, as well as a campaign to promote positive masculinities.

76.In 2020, the National Council for the Prevention of Discrimination conducted awareness-raising campaigns on discriminatory practices against vulnerable groups. In 2021, it issued a publication entitled “La pandemia deja huella: hombres en sana convivencia, cuidar hace la diferencia”, to promote the mental health of men and their shared responsibility for caregiving in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

7 (b)

77.The National Council for the Prevention of Discrimination has developed a publication aimed at eliminating xenophobia in the media and on social networks, and is implementing a project aimed at avoiding stereotypes and discrimination in public information and communication.

78.In 2023, as part of its presidency of the Follow-up Mechanism to the Belém do Pará Convention, Mexico promoted the Regional Declaration on the Eradication of Gender Stereotypes in Public Spaces Resulting in Symbolic and Political Gender-based Violence.

Media coverage and electoral campaigns

79.Under the communication strategy of the National Electoral Institute, which uses inclusive language, women are granted 50 per cent of public funding for radio and television campaigns.

80.In 2018, the General Act on Social Communication was amended to provide for the use of inclusive language in communication campaigns. In 2022, the General Act on Equality between Women and Men was amended to eliminate sexist and discriminatory stereotypes in the social communication of the federal administration and in mass media.

81.Between 2018 and 2024, the Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary issued relevant opinions to safeguard the right of women to political participation in Mexico. It recently cancelled the registration of a candidate who was in arrears on child support payments. In 2021, it issued a first ruling declaring the annulment of the election in the municipality of Iliatenco, Guerrero, owing to gender-based political violence.

82.Since 2021, there has been a project to promote the political and electoral rights of Indigenous and Afro-Mexican women on community, Indigenous and indigenist radio stations in Mexico.

83.In August 2023, the National Electoral Institute approved the general guidelines, including gender and diversity perspectives, for news broadcasts covering the pre‑campaign and campaign activities of political parties and independent candidates in the 2023/24 federal electoral cycle.

Digital violence

84.In June 2021, the Federal Criminal Code and the General Act on Women’s Access to a Life Free from Violence were amended to criminalize and punish digital and online violence and the violation of sexual privacy; 29 federative entities have incorporated penalties for such offences into their criminal codes.

85.In 2023, the Federal Criminal Code was amended to provide for the punishment of public servants who leak images or videos of victims of violence (the “Ingrid law”).

86.In September 2022, the Federal Consumer Protection Agency issued the Code of Ethics for the Prevention of Digital Violence against Women.

87.The Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection has set up cyberpolice units and a national registry of cyberincidents. Between January 2022 and June 2024, a total of 142,720 cyberincidents involving gender-based violence were recorded in the 32 federative entities. The National Guard, the Prosecutor General’s Office and the prosecutors’ offices in the 32 federative entities monitor such crimes.

88.Through the Federal Forensic Expert Centre, the Prosecutor General’s Office makes use of new technologies to investigate technological crimes.

89.In addition, the Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection is running the initiative “Operativo Salvación” to investigate the crimes of violation of sexual privacy and child pornography and to monitor public websites. It also issued the third edition of a gender-sensitive guide aimed at facilitating the understanding of cybersecurity issues.

H.Paragraph 8

8 (a) and (b)

90.In 2020, the Ministry of Health issued a protocol for ensuring non‑discriminatory access to healthcare services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, transvestite, transgender and intersex (LGBTTTIQ+) persons. In accordance with the protocol, decisions about irreversible body changes, including through surgical interventions and hormone therapy, should be postponed until newborns, children and adolescents under the responsibility of mothers, fathers or guardians are older and have greater awareness; families must be given clear information about care services; surgical procedures must not be conducted when a person’s life or functional capacities are at risk; and vaginoplasties must be avoided until girls reach adolescence.

91.In 2020, the National Council for the Prevention of Discrimination published the results of a survey documenting discriminatory practices and violence against intersex persons. In 2021, the National Institute of Statistics and Geography determined, through a national survey on sexual and gender diversity, that there were about 1.5 million intersex persons living in Mexico (1 in 67 people).

92.The National Council for the Prevention of Discrimination developed a guide on public action in response to intersexuality, in collaboration with the organization Brújula Intersex.

93.Healthcare units have adopted inclusive practices for the provision of medical care to vulnerable groups. By June 2024, there were 175 such units across Mexico.

I.Paragraph 9

9 (a)

94.Steps have been taken, with the involvement of the three levels of government, to identify and address femicides and violent deaths, including measures to ensure access to and effectiveness of justice and to prevent and address femicides, with a particular focus on the structural causes of violence. Of note are the Women’s Justice Centres, local support units and context analysis units, as well as the investment in the Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection through the Public Security Contributions Fund.

95.Under the Comprehensive Strategy to Combat Violence against Women and Girls, work is being carried out in 15 priority municipalities, which account for 42.1 per cent of femicides, with a view to preventing and addressing femicidal violence. Over the period 2023–2024, 253 actions were taken in coordination with 24 federal administration offices and 206 local governments, with a total of 1,159,495 people receiving support.

96.The Inter-Agency Group for Strategies to Combat Violence against Women and Girls was established in 2020 and is coordinated by the Ministry of the Interior at both the federal and state levels.

97.In 2022, the Special Commission to Follow up on Cases of Femicide of Girls and Adolescents was established in the Senate.

98.In December 2022, the Commission to Address the Crime of Intentional Homicide was established. Led by the Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection, it has offices responsible for public security and administration of justice at the three levels of government and collaborates, in particular, with the prosecutors of the States of México, Baja California, Chihuahua, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Jalisco and Michoacán in the prosecution of cases of femicide and gender-based crimes. Between 2022 and 30 June 2024, 1,437 arrests were made: 332 in flagrante delicto and 1,105 through arrest warrants (667 for homicide, 310 for gender-based crimes and 128 for femicide).

99.More than 5,597 million pesos have been invested to promote and consolidate specialized care services for women in situations of violence.

100.Through the support programme for women’s organizations in the federative entities, 200,201 women received support in 2022, and 240,024 services were provided by the women’s organizations in the federative entities in 2023. Women’s organizations in the federative entities were granted 288,988,386 pesos in 2022 and 334,014,744 pesos in 2024, an increase of 86.51 per cent.

101.In 2022 and 2023, the funds for the annual programmes to prevent and address violence against women amounted to 15,538,886.81 pesos in the State of México, 17,549,298.84 pesos in Tamaulipas, 16,081,108.01 pesos in Jalisco and 21,958,850.84 pesos in Guerrero.

102.In 2023, the Supreme Court held “listening days”, with the participation of family members, civil society organizations, representatives of the Federal Public Defender Service and defenders of victims of femicide and disappearance. The Criminal Justice and Gender Programme was developed and a standing working group on evidence and gender was set up.

103.Coordination among the authorities at the three levels of government in preventing, addressing and punishing gender-based violence led to a 36.7 per cent decrease in the number of femicides between December 2018 and July 2024. In the State of México, it decreased by 24.6 per cent. Local prosecutors’ offices in 16 federative entities, including the States of México, Tamaulipas and Jalisco, have units, agencies or offices specialized in femicide.

104.Under the Programme for the Comprehensive Well-Being of Indigenous Peoples, resources are provided to the Indigenous and Afro-Mexican Women’s Houses, the aim of which is to ensure a life free from violence and the provision of sexual and reproductive healthcare services and culturally relevant services in Indigenous languages, as well as psychological, medical and legal care. In 2024, there were 35 such Houses, located in 17 federative entities and benefiting 16 peoples: Tsotsil, Zoque, Tseltal, Ralámuli, Mazahua, Tlapaneco, Nahua, Wixárika, P’urhepecha, Otomía, Mixe, Huave, Totonaco, Mixteco, Maya and Afro-Mexican.

105.In addition to the support programme for women’s organizations in the federative entities, the following instruments and mechanisms are in place to prevent gender-based violence: the Comprehensive Programme to Prevent, Address, Punish and Eradicate Violence against Women (2021–2024); the National Strategy to Prevent and Address Violence against Women, Children and Adolescents (2021); a comprehensive model for the front-line prevention of violence against women (2021); a model for the comprehensive care and protection of women experiencing violence (2021); a national protocol for the comprehensive care of children and adolescents orphaned by femicide (2021); a national protocol for inter-agency coordination to protect child and adolescent victims of violence (2021); guidelines for preventing and addressing the sexual harassment of women on public transportation (2022); a national protocol for police action in cases of violence against women and femicide (2022); and the National Programme for the Social Prevention of Violence and Crime (2022–2024).

106.Between 2019 and 2023, more than 2,525 million pesos were invested in the support programme for specialized shelters for women victims of gender-based violence and their children, benefiting more than 17,000 women. In 2018, there were 42 such shelters and 30 external care centres; there are now 72 shelters and 39 external care centres across Mexico.

107.In July 2023, the National Commission for the Prevention and Elimination of Violence against Women formalized the National System of Care Services for Women in Situations of Violence. By July 2024, there were 428 local care units under the support programme for women’s organizations in the federative entities, 70 Women’s Justice Centres, 75 specialized shelters and 41 external care centres distributed across the 32 federative entities and serving 1,195 women per day.

108.Progress has been made in measuring crime based on the incidence of crime, as identified by the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System, which is developing focused and regional strategies.

Legislation

109.In 2022, the General Act on Women’s Access to a Life Free from Violence was amended to establish the National Commission for the Prevention and Elimination of Violence against Women as the governing body on matters in this area; to strengthen the national system for preventing, responding to, punishing and eradicating violence against women; and to improve coordination among the various levels of government in relation to violence against women. Under the amended Act, attacks with acid or corrosive, caustic, irritant, toxic or flammable substances or any other substance that, under certain conditions, may or may not cause internal or external injuries, or both, constitute physical violence.

110.The recently issued National Code for Civil and Family Procedures provides that, in cases involving the rights of children, adolescents and women, the jurisdictional authorities in the federative entities must take into account the best interests of the child and apply a gender perspective.

111.In 2023, article 132 of the National Code of Criminal Procedure was amended to establish that the police must apply a gender perspective in the investigation of crime. In addition, the Act on the Prosecutor General’s Office, under which public servants must perform their duties with a gender and human rights perspective, was issued.

9 (b)

Office of the Special Prosecutor for Violent Crimes against Women and Vulnerable Groups and for Trafficking in Persons

112.The restructuring of the Office of the Special Prosecutor for Violent Crimes against Women and Vulnerable Groups and for Trafficking in Persons, starting with the expansion of its powers in 2023, strengthened the specialization and performance of public servants who investigate crimes involving gender-based violence.

113.The Prosecutor General’s Office has a protocol for the gender-sensitive investigation of femicide by prosecutors, experts and the police, and a protocol for the gender-sensitive investigation of sexual violence by prosecutors, experts and the police, both of which are being updated. According to the protocol on femicide, investigations in cases of violent deaths of women must include an analysis of the crime scene, the social environment and the cultural context.

Police action

114.In addition to the protocol for the gender-sensitive investigation of femicide by prosecutors, experts and the police, the Prosecutor General’s Office has a national protocol for police action to address gender-based violence against women in family settings (2020), a national protocol for inter-agency coordination to protect children and adolescents (2021), a comprehensive model protocol for the punishment of violence against women (2022), and a national protocol for police action in cases of violence against women and femicide (2023).

115.In 2022, the General Act on Women’s Access to a Life Free from Violence was amended to establish that the Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection is responsible for training police forces to apply gender, human rights and intercultural perspectives in dealing with cases of gender-based violence. In 2023, the National Code of Criminal Procedure was amended to mainstream a gender perspective in the actions of police officers, public prosecutors and judges in response to gender-based crimes and to make it mandatory to apply the related protocols.

Opinions of the Supreme Court

116.In 2018, the Supreme Court ruled that protection orders should be used in cases of gender-based violence as means to prevent physical or emotional abuse against women. In addition, since 2019, the Supreme Court has strengthened its opinions on the investigation and prosecution of violent deaths of women.

9 (c)

117.In 2020, the Supreme Court ruled that the use of summary procedures entailed full reparation for the damage suffered by victims, thereby helping to avoid the revictimization that could occur in the case of oral proceedings.

118.In 2021, the Supreme Court ruled that article 204 of the National Code of Criminal Procedure afforded certainty to victims in opposing, at the appropriate stage of the procedure, the initiation of summary proceedings or the amount set by the Federal Prosecution Service for the reparation of damages.

119.Staff of the Office of the Special Prosecutor for Violent Crimes against Women and Vulnerable Groups and for Trafficking in Persons use summary procedures to avoid revictimization, as it reduces the emotional and time costs of the criminal process.

Reparation for victims

120.The Executive Commission for Victim Support provides gender-sensitive legal advice at the federal level to women who are victims of violence. Through legal representation, the Executive Commission provides specialized test data to secure convictions with reparations for damages (see annex 1-H).

121.The Executive Commission has supported the establishment of 31 state-level commissions for victim support and has ensured access to federal resources from the Public Security Contributions Fund, with a view to hiring specialized legal assistance personnel to offer legal representation to women victims of violence.

122.The National Commission for the Prevention and Elimination of Violence against Women administers a national data and information bank on cases of violence against women. It contains information on gender-based violence provided by the national system for preventing, responding to, punishing and eradicating violence against women and by government agencies in the federative entities.

9 (d)

123.The Gender Violence against Women Alert mechanism allows for the coordination of measures taken at the three levels of government to address femicidal violence and aggravated assault.

124.The scope and forms of violence, including femicidal violence, are defined in the General Act on Women’s Access to a Life Free from Violence, under which the Gender Violence Alert mechanism was established to combat the crime of femicide. In 2022, the General Act was amended to ensure the timely and expeditious operation of the mechanism.

125.As a result of the amendments and additions to the General Act on Women’s Access to a Life Free from Violence, the Gender Violence Alert mechanism has been strengthened through improved governmental coordination systems and the inclusion of civil society and experts in inter-agency and multidisciplinary groups.

126.Between 2015 and 2024, 25 alerts under the mechanism have been declared in 22 federative entities. The mechanism has strengthened public policy against violence at the state and municipal levels and has helped to reduce the number of femicides. The approved budget for the Gender Violence Alert mechanism amounted to 436,574,00,757 pesos between 2021 and 2024, which enabled specialized units for first response to gender-based violence to be set up or strengthened.

9 (e)

127.Femicide has been criminalized in the criminal codes of all 32 federative entities.

128.Following up on the most recent recommendations of the Committee, in 2023 the National Institute for Women and the National Commission for the Prevention and Elimination of Violence against Women issued a model definition of the criminal offence of femicide, presented at a meeting of the national system for preventing, responding to, punishing and eradicating violence against women at which the federative entities were urged to promote the review and analysis of the definition of femicide in state-level criminal laws, with a view to nationwide standardization and harmonization. At present, the federal definition and the definition of 24 federative entities have been amended, fully or partially, in line with the model.

129.Between 2021 and 2023, the National Code of Criminal Procedure was amended to allow for the application of mandatory pretrial detention in cases of sexual violence against or abuse of minors and of femicide, among others. In addition, the Federal Criminal Code, the National Code of Criminal Procedure, the General Act of the National Public Security System, the General Victims Act and the General Act on Women’s Access to a Life Free from Violence were amended to establish aggravating circumstances for the punishment of the crime of femicide, the standardization of comprehensive reparation for damages, counselling for victims, and the loss of rights, such as parental rights, of the perpetrator.

9 (f)

130.The National Search Commission develops comprehensive strategies for locating missing persons, provides support to their families and contributes to investigations. The Commission operates the National Register of Missing and Disappeared Persons, which contains information that is processed and verified in coordination with local search commissions and local prosecutors’ offices.

131.In May 2023, the National Strategy for the Generalized Search for Missing Persons was adopted, with the involvement of the three levels of government and inter-agency collaboration. According to the Ministry of the Interior, 20,193 missing persons had been traced as a result of the Strategy by March 2024.

132.The Standardized Protocol for the Search for Missing and Disappeared Persons, and the differentiated approach set out therein, enables all authorities to work together to conduct searches for missing persons and enhances diligence in dealing with cases of gender-based violence, especially in cases of disappearances of women, girls and sexually diverse persons (see annex 1-I).

133.Over the period 2022–2023, the National Search Commission conducted training on the Alba Protocol, the Amber Alert programme, the Standardized Protocol for the Search for Missing and Disappeared Persons, the Additional Protocol for the Search for Children and Adolescents, the Guiding Principles for the Search for Disappeared Persons and international standards on searches in order to contribute to the knowledge, awareness and application of the gender perspective and a differentiated approach during searches.

134.In that regard, 1,249 people were trained in 2022, 3,107 in 2023 and 2,417 to date in 2024.

135.In 2024, 1,910 women were located thanks to the 2,988 Alba Protocol alerts issued by 18 local prosecutors’ offices.

136.In April 2023, the General Act for the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Crimes of Trafficking in Persons and for the Protection and Assistance of Victims was amended to establish the requirement for an Amber Alert to be issued without delay when a woman is reported missing, abducted or absent.

137.In 2023, the Senate endorsed a reform to enable telecommunications operators to cooperate with federal and state authorities in the activation of Amber Alerts and to disseminate relevant information in real time. The associated legislative process is under way.

138.In 2024, 871 Amber Alerts concerning missing girls and adolescents were activated by 20 local prosecutors’ offices.

9 (g)

139.The National Programme for Equality and Non-Discrimination 2021–2024 serves to combat discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sexual characteristics.

140.The results of the national survey on sexual and gender diversity conducted by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography in 2021 are being used in the design of public policies that benefit sexually and gender diverse persons. The 2022 national survey on discrimination provided updated information on discriminatory expressions and practices against sexually diverse persons.

141.In 2022, the Supreme Court declared that legislative provisions that unjustifiably excluded persons under 18 years of age from applying to have their birth certificates adjusted to reflect their self-perceived gender identity were unconstitutional.

142.Following the publication of the Organic Statute of the Prosecutor General’s Office in 2023, the powers of the Office of the Special Prosecutor for Violent Crimes against Women and Vulnerable Groups and for Trafficking in Persons was expanded, and the Special Prosecutor’s Office for the Investigation of Crimes Committed against Children and Adolescents and Vulnerable Groups has now been established.

143.In 2023, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued the first Mexican passports to non-binary persons.

144.The Ministry of Health has a protocol for ensuring non-discriminatory access to healthcare services for LGBTTTIQ+ persons.

145.In 2024, amendments to the General Health Act and the Federal Criminal Code to ban conversion therapies, also referred to as “efforts to correct sexual orientation and gender identity”, entered into force.

9 (h)

146.The Ministry of the Interior, the National Commission for the Prevention and Elimination of Violence against Women and the Commission for the Follow-up of the Observations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women have been coordinating efforts to follow up on this issue. Since July 2021, working groups have been set up to follow up on the case and have enabled communication with the victim’s family and legal representatives to be re-established.

147.In 2022, the communication of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women on this case was published in the Official Gazette of Mexico, as well as in the official gazette of the government of the State of Veracruz.

148.Also in 2022, the Ministry of the Interior paid for psychological care and provided compensation for the material and non-material damages caused by the events.

149.In May 2024, the Government of Mexico made a public apology to the relatives of Pilar Argüello Trujillo, jointly developed with them, and acknowledged its international responsibility for the violation of the rights to protection of life, personal integrity, liberty, dignity, equality and judicial protection. Representatives of the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Executive Commission for Victim Support, the National Search Commission, the National Commission for the Prevention and Elimination of Violence against Women, the government of Veracruz, the prosecutor’s office of the federative entity and the local court of justice were present at the event. A mural in memory of Pilar Argüello Trujillo has been installed as a measure of satisfaction at the Coscomatepec Women’s Institute.

150.In 2024, the National Commission for the Prevention and Elimination of Violence against Women produced a video on the case of Pilar Argüello Trujillo, in particular on the Government’s public apology for omissions in the case, based on the recommendation of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.

151.Progress has been made in fulfilling the related commitments, and the authorities involved are working together to ensure full compliance with the measures of satisfaction for the family of Pilar Argüello Trujillo.

J.Paragraph 10

10 (a)

152.Activities coordinated by the Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection help to promote the prevention of different forms of violence and comprehensive ways of addressing them, by transforming environments and building peace in communities, neighbourhoods and districts throughout the country. A strategic agenda has been adopted, with a gender perspective and the involvement of the three levels of government.

153.The Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection has a gender cabinet to coordinate its administrative units and deconcentrated administrative bodies and promote substantive gender equality measures that ensure the implementation of the National Public Security Strategy.

154.As part of that Strategy, peace tables are held at the three levels of government to explore the roots of violence and advocate a life free of violence for women. There are 32 state coordination offices and 266 regional coordination offices.

10 (b)

155.Two reports have been submitted on the implementation of the national action plan for follow-up to Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on women and peace and security, highlighting efforts by the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Naval Affairs, which culminated in the participation of 48 women, out of a total of 180 persons, in four United Nations peace operations; the preparation of municipal guides by the Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection; the progress made by the Women Peacebuilder Networks; and the establishment of the Ibero-American Network of Women Mediators by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Institute for Women (see annexes 1-D and 1-J).

10 (c)

156.The Ministry of Defence has stepped up measures to enable women to join, remain in and move up the ranks of the Mexican army and air force. In 2019, women were admitted for the first time to the Military Academy for Training Specialized Air Force Troops, to be trained as specialist sergeants (second class).

157.In 2020, women were admitted for the first time to the Military Academy for Maintenance and Supply Training, which falls under the Air College, to be trained as specialist officers in aviation maintenance, aviation electronics, air material supply and air armament, and to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in military aeronautics.

158.In 2021, women took officer training courses for the infantry, calvary and armoured weapons branches of the army at the Heroic Military Academy. In 2024, women were recruited for the first time as soldiers in units of the infantry, calvary and armoured weapons branches.

159.Women in the military can hold ranks ranging from corporal to major general in the various branches and divisions of the Mexican army and air force.

160.Women in the Mexican army and air force can embark on studies based on their preferences, interests and aspirations, enabling them to hold various ranks, positions and posts within the land and air armed forces.

161.In 2021, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Naval Affairs, The Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection and the National Institute for Women, Mexico received funding under the Elsie Initiative for Women in Peace Operations of UN-Women, to assess the barriers faced by Mexican women to joining the armed forces and participating in United Nations peace operations.

162.The project was carried out over the period 2021–2022, using the Measuring Opportunities for Women in Peace Operations Methodology. In 2023, three documents on the assessment of barriers were published by the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Naval Affairs and the Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection.

10 (d)

163.Since 2020, the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System and the National Institute for Women have been implementing the Women Peacebuilders Networks Strategy (see annex 1-J).

164.Women Peacebuilders Networks are working, coordination and civic participation groups, in which women at the local and regional levels coordinate actions aimed at restoring the social fabric and preventing gender-based violence, with the participation of local women’s institutes and security authorities. Women’s participation in peacebuilding and conflict resolution processes has been promoted. Capacities for dialogue with the authorities have been improved, public spaces have been reclaimed and protocols for addressing violence have been strengthened.

165.In the period 2022–2024, the sum of 60.8 million pesos was allocated for the establishment of Women Peacebuilders Networks and, to date, 1,602 networks have been set up in 32 federative entities, with the participation of more than 29,930 women. Of that total, 1,088 networks comprising 21,868 women have received additional support. Since 2022, funding has been provided under the Fund for the Well-being and Advancement of Women of the National Institute for Women. For the period 2019–2024, 189 projects in the 32 federative entities benefited from the Fund, receiving a total of 536.9 million pesos.

166.In collaboration with local authorities and communities, the Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection is working to create safe, inclusive and accessible spaces. Between 2022 and 2024, community activities were carried out to prevent violence and build leadership.

167.The Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection is establishing “Embajadas Comunitarias de Paz” (Community Peace Embassies), in a strategy enabling focused action to build a culture of peace and promote social cohesion in communities, through the appropriation of public spaces.

168.Mexico serves as a facilitator and guarantor on the Panel for Peace Talks between the Government of Colombia and the Ejército de Liberación Nacional and has appointed a female member of the Mexican Foreign Service to the role of alternate guarantor in that process.

K.Paragraph 11

11 (a)

169.In 2018, 798 persons qualified for protection under the National Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists. Between 2018 and August 2024, 1,538 additional persons were included, representing an increase of 193 per cent.

170.By June 2024, a total of 2,336 persons were subject to protection under the Mechanism. Of that total, 179 were women journalists, 715 were women human rights defenders and 246 were female relatives of beneficiaries.

171.The Protection Mechanism conducts comprehensive risk assessments with a gender perspective and a differentiated approach. As such, effective measures have been implemented to prevent assaults on women.

172.In 2024, the National Commission for the Prevention and Elimination of Violence against Women provided technical assistance for the integration of a gender perspective in the questionnaire addressed to the authorities comprising the interdisciplinary group for independent risk assessments established under the Protection Mechanism.

11 (b)

173.The Office of the Special Prosecutor for Crimes against Freedom of Expression of the Prosecutor General’s Office investigates and prosecutes offences that limit, affect or impair journalists’ freedom of expression. The Office of the Special Prosecutor is in constant communication with the Protection Mechanism. Since 2020, it has been collaborating with the Special Gender and Violence against Women Unit of the Prosecutor General’s Office. Between 2018 and 2024, 138 cases regarding offences committed against women journalists were opened.

174.Between 2018 and July 2024, the Executive Commission for Victim Support provided services to 3,141 women journalists and human rights defenders.

175.There is an approved gender-sensitive protocol for investigating crimes against freedom of expression.

L.Paragraph 12

12 (a)

176.The 2022–2024 National Programme for the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Trafficking in Persons and for Victim Protection and Assistance guides national policy in this area, with an intersectional perspective.

177.Currently, 32 federative entities have a special law on the issue or apply the General Act for the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Crimes of Trafficking in Persons and for the Protection and Assistance of Victims, 14 federative entities have implementing regulations and 31 federative entities have a specialized prosecutor’s office or unit.

178.A record of actions taken at the federal, state and municipal levels in terms of prevention, protection and prosecution is kept in the National Information System on Trafficking in Persons.

179.A round table on prosecution to comprehensively address trafficking in persons was established in 2022. It is coordinated by the Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection and serves to exchange information and intelligence at the national and international levels.

180.The Interministerial Commission for the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Trafficking in Persons and for Victim Protection and Assistance, which is coordinated by the Ministry of the Interior, comprises 13 multi-stakeholder institutions and promotes the implementation of the relevant regulatory framework. In 2021, a simplified guide was published on providing support to victims of trafficking in persons.

181.In 2023, the Interministerial Commission and the Executive Commission for Victim Support implemented a national strategy for identifying and reporting trafficking cases in the hotel sector, which included provisions for training, raising awareness and encouraging persons to report suspected cases.

Investigation of trafficking in persons

182.The Office of the Special Prosecutor for Violent Crimes against Women and Vulnerable Groups and for Trafficking in Persons has a special unit that investigates trafficking in persons, in compliance with the obligations and powers provided for under the General Act for the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Crimes of Trafficking in Persons and for the Protection and Assistance of Victims.

12 (b)

183.In November 2023, an operating manual for shelters, hostels and halfway houses that provide assistance to victims of trafficking, developed by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Mexico, was published by the Interministerial Commission.

184.These shelters and hostels serve to protect women victims of trafficking and gender-based violence and their children. The Office of the Special Prosecutor for Violent Crimes against Women and Vulnerable Groups and for Trafficking in Persons has a special shelter offering comprehensive care and protection to victims of extreme gender-based violence and trafficking. Between January 2018 and August 2024, 248 women received assistance, 88 of whom were foreign nationals.

185.The Office provides users with psychological counselling, legal assistance and support and follow-up services.

186.The support programme for women’s organizations in the federative entities also has specialized professionals to identify women who may be victims of trafficking and provide them with referral services.

Trafficked foreign nationals and migrants

187.As part of its strategic plan for the period 2019–2024, the National Institute of Migration has been collaborating with the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) in operational intelligence measures and the exchange of information on the trafficking of migrants.

188.In 2022, the Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection conducted Operations Itzel III and Turquesa IV, leading to the rescue of 4,549 persons; in 2023, under operations Itzel IV and Turquesa V, 1,985 foreign nationals were located.

189.The National Guard conducts training sessions for its staff on the protocol for detecting, identifying, caring for and protecting unaccompanied children and adolescents who are or may be victims of trafficking at airports.

Indigenous women and trafficking

190.Between 2018 and 2021, UNODC and the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples collaborated with Indigenous and Afro-Mexican Women’s Houses in the States of Baja California, Puebla and Veracruz to implement a project aimed at detecting and preventing the trafficking of persons in Indigenous communities and providing anti-trafficking tools. A total of 179 persons, consisting of 147 local stakeholders and a number of community public servants, received professional training. A second phase, covering the period 2023–2026 and consisting of a project entitled “Agentes de Cambio” (Agents of Change), is under way in the States of Baja California, Chiapas, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Puebla and Veracruz, as well as in Mexico City. Over the period 2023–2024, an information-gathering instrument developed by the Indigenous and Afro-Mexican Women’s Houses has been used to analyse socioeconomic factors in target populations and processes relating to care and referral services in cases of violence and trafficking in persons.

12 (c)

191.In June 2021, a cooperation agreement was signed between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Autonomous University of Mexico and the Executive Secretariat of the Regional Conference on Migration to enable the teaching of a diploma course on prevention, prosecution, protection and reintegration with regard to the trafficking of persons.

192.In June 2022, the Interministerial Commission participated in the twelfth meeting of the Working Group on Trafficking in Persons of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, at which the principle of non-punishment of victims of trafficking was discussed. In June 2023, Mexico hosted the second plenary meeting of the Regional Coalition against Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants in Central America, Belize, Mexico and the Dominican Republic, in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration, UNODC and civil society organizations. In September 2023, the Interministerial Commission participated in the third plenary meeting of the Regional Coalition, held in Panama, at which the focus was on the creation of regional strategies.

193.In October 2023, at the sixth meeting of the Trilateral Working Group on Trafficking in Persons, comprising the United States of America, Mexico and Canada, which was held in Mexico, efforts to address and combat trafficking were recognized. The subject of trafficking has been addressed from a gender and intersectional perspective within the Trilateral Working Group on Violence against Indigenous Women and Girls.

194.In November 2023, the eighth meeting of the Ibero-American Network of Specialized Prosecutors against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants of the Ibero-American Association of Public Prosecutors was held, with the collaboration and assistance of UNODC and INTERPOL through the Turquesa project, implemented by the Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection.

195.In February 2024, Mexico participated in the seventh Meeting of National Authorities on Trafficking in Persons, held at the Organization of American States headquarters in the United States, at which recommendations on priorities to prevent and combat trafficking in persons and to assist and protect victims were adopted.

12 (d)

196.In 2022, the National Institute for Women published a declaration on the occasion of the International Day to End Violence against Sex Workers and held a national meeting of women sex workers to make progress on the development of a public policy advocacy agenda.

197.In March 2023, an advocacy group for the rights of female sex workers, comprising civil society organizations and federal agencies, was established. In addition, it was agreed that round tables known as “thematic sessions” would be set up to address the issues of regulation and non-punishment, the right to health, economic rights, the right to a life free of violence and the social and political participation of female sex workers.

M.Paragraph 13

13 (a)

198.Under the 2019 reform to achieve gender parity across the board, the obligation to achieve parity in the executive, legislative and judicial branches; in federal, state and municipal governments; in autonomous agencies; and in local governments, including local Indigenous governments, was made into a constitutional requirement.

199.A priority objective of the National Programme for Equality between Women and Men is to achieve the equal participation of women in decision-making positions in the political, social, community and private spheres.

200.In 2020, the Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary ordered the National Electoral Institute to issue guidelines to ensure gender parity among candidates for governors in the 2020/21 election cycle and among members of legislative bodies.

201.In 2019, 2022 and 2023, there were reforms of state, municipal and community governments, and amendments were made to the Federal Act on the Prevention and Elimination of Discrimination, the General Act on Electoral Institutions and Procedures, the Agrarian Act and the provisions on unions of the Federal Labour Act. In 2024, the Constitution was amended to ensure that the principle of gender parity was adhered to in popular elections of judges and magistrates and in the appointment of members of judicial bodies.

202.There is a practical guide for the implementation of the principle of gender parity in agencies of the federal administration.

203.In April 2024, the Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary established the electoral public defender service specialized in gender-based political violence and gender parity.

204.The National Electoral Institute has a pilot programme to provide psychological services and legal support to women who have experienced gender-based political violence. It also has criteria that were developed out of the “3 de 3” (3 out of 3) reform, as well as a procedure entitled “8 de 8 contra la violencia” (8 out of 8 against violence).

205.Mexico has a Women’s Political Participation Observatory, comprising the National Institute for Women, the National Electoral Institute, the Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary and 32 local observatories. In 2022, the Observatory launched an index of gender parity in local politics and a methodological tool for consolidating gender parity in politics, which was used to analyse the proper implementation of the principle of parity in all federative entities.

206.At present, nine women hold high public office: eight are Ministers, one is the Legal Counsel of the Federal Executive, and one is the President of the Supreme Court. In addition, women are currently serving as governors in 9 of the 32 federative entities, and women are governors-elect in 4 others.

207.On 2 June 2024, 13 women were elected governors, and, for the first time in the history of Mexico, a woman was elected President.

Participation in the public sphere and in the judiciary

208.Calls for applications exclusively from women have been issued, with a view to encouraging them to participate in politics, as mentioned above, as well as to serve in the judiciary and hold decision-making positions for the appointment of members of administrative and jurisdictional bodies on electoral matters. In July 2024, 211 women were circuit judges (22 per cent) and 289 women were district judges (38 per cent), amounting to a total of 500 women judges.

13 (b)

209.In 2020, the reform on gender-based political violence against women entered into effect. In 2023, the “8 de 8” (8 out of 8) constitutional amendment was passed. Under that amendment, those who have been convicted of domestic abuse or gender-based political violence against women or who have outstanding child support obligations are not eligible to register as candidates for any elected office; they are also not eligible for any position, post or appointment in the public service.

210.In 2020, the National Electoral Institute issued criteria for gender parity among candidates for governor positions. It has also taken affirmative action, with an intersectional and intercultural approach, aimed at ensuring that political parties include Indigenous women and Afro-Mexican women when registering candidates for federal deputy positions. In the 2020/21 election cycle, 22 Indigenous women and 4 Afro-Mexican women were elected.

211.The National Electoral Institute monitors the activities of all political parties and political groupings to ensure that they prevent, address and eradicate gender-based political violence against women with an intersectional and intercultural approach. The Institute has guidelines for national political parties and, where applicable, local political parties on preventing, addressing, punishing, redressing and eradicating gender-based political violence against women (2020).

212.A national registry of individuals sanctioned for gender-based political violence against women has been in place since the 2020/21 election cycle. The registry is used to suppress political violence and facilitate the exchange of information between institutions and with the public. In August 2024, the registry contained a total of 445 records and 393 sanctioned individuals (78 women and 315 men).

213.Political parties are required to allocate no less than 3 per cent of ordinary public funding to training on, and the promotion and development of, political leadership among women.

214.In 2021, the Senate published a practical guide on understanding gender-based political violence against women and the steps to be taken and entities to be contacted in the event that such violence occurs.

13 (c)

215.In April 2020, a reform on gender-based political violence against women was issued. Under the reform, the offence was codified, the associated penalties were established, and the National Electoral Institute was given the mandate of enforcing compliance.

N.Paragraph 14

14 (a)

216.Through the National Population Registry, steps have been taken to ensure universal birth registration. The National Population Council has prepared a reconciliation of demographic data on Mexico for the period 1950–2019 and projections of the population of federative entities in Mexico for the period 2020–2070, which includes statistical data on the migrant population.

217.The National System for the Comprehensive Protection of Children and Adolescents implements local campaigns to register births in municipalities with registration backlogs, electronic identification platforms at meeting places for unhoused people and birth registration teams in municipalities with a large concentration of Indigenous populations in 15 federative entities.

14 (b)

218.Under the binational strategy entitled “Soy México: registro de la población México-Americana” (I am Mexico: registration of the Mexican-American population), in coordination with the National Association of Public Health Statistics and Information Systems of the United States, individuals with binational status who are returning to Mexico can validate their birth certificates electronically without having to pay apostille fees, which makes it easier for them to obtain their Mexican birth certificates and their personal identification code numbers. Four states are implementing the strategy at schools to strengthen the social inclusion of children and adolescents who are dual nationals.

O.Paragraph 15

15 (a)

219.Through an education reform in 2019 involving the amendment of article 3 of the Constitution, the legal foundation for the launch of the new education model was established. The “New Mexican School” model serves to promote education with a social focus and foster comprehensive learning, prioritizing knowledge of sciences and the humanities, instruction of Indigenous and foreign languages, technological innovation, sexual and reproductive health, and care.

220.For the 2023/24 school year, per-student federal expenditure was 29,200 pesos at the basic education level, 30,800 pesos at the upper secondary education level, and 61,300 pesos at the higher education level.

221.The constitutional reform gave rise to an amendment of the General Education Act, establishing the requirement for gender to be mainstreamed in all plans and programmes of study. That curricular model promotes the involvement of children and adolescents in preventing and addressing problems that hinder progress towards healthy lifestyles, inclusion, gender equality and critical interculturalism.

222.For the 2023/24 school year, 154.9 million free textbooks were produced, and 151.2 million books were distributed, including 187 basic education titles and 3.02 million copies of 180 titles in 20 Indigenous languages for primary and secondary education, which benefited 24.1 million children and adolescents. Community education services for children and adolescents in localities with high or very high levels of marginalization served more than 300,000 students per education level and provided an average of 58,000 educational services per year over the period 2019–2024.

223.Over the period 2019–2023, the expanded programme of the multiple contributions fund provided 4,787,012,234 pesos in support to 4,950 rural schools, benefiting 420,976 students at the three levels of education. Under the National Reconstruction Programme, 205 activities have been implemented, for a total of 74,694,974 pesos.

224.Over the period 2019–2023, the programme entitled “La escuela es nuestra” (The school is ours) benefited 254,918 students through 259,418 disbursements to school management committees, which amounted to a total of 63,171,805,374 pesos.

225.The Benito Juárez basic education scholarship programme serves to encourage public school students to stay in school and complete their studies. Between September 2023 and June 2024, 42,807,600,000 pesos were allocated to provide scholarships to 6.6 million children and adolescents from more than 5 million poor and/or vulnerable families who were pursuing basic education at public schools. In all, 1,366,633 of the scholarships were awarded to Indigenous students, while 25,831 were awarded to Afro-Mexican students. The scholarships helped to reduce dropout rates among girls at the primary and secondary levels, from 0.6 per cent to 0.1 per cent and from 3.7 per cent to 3.3 per cent, respectively, over the period 2018–2022. The dropout rate among young women fell from 10.9 per cent in 2018 to 8.4 per cent in 2021.

226.From September 2023 to June 2024, the Benito Juárez universal scholarship programme for students in upper secondary education awarded scholarships amounting to 37,767,400,000 pesos to 4.2 million students.

227.Over the period 2019–2024, an average of 56.54 per cent of recipients of the “Jóvenes escribiendo el futuro” (Young people writing the future) scholarship were women. In 2023, 59.38 per cent of scholarship recipients were women. For the period 2023–2024, 12,614,300,000 pesos were allocated to the issuance of scholarships.

228.In 2022, more than 5,600 schools affected by the 2017 and 2018 earthquakes were rebuilt with 11,854 million pesos in funds from the National Reconstruction Programme.

15 (b)

229.In Mexico, the fertility rate for the 15–19 age group has decreased by 30 per cent in the past five years. In 50 years, the fertility rate has fallen from an average of 6.5 children per woman to 1.6. In 2024, the lowest fertility rates were reported in Mexico City (1.38 children per woman), Baja California (1.56) and Yucatán (1.61).

230.The National Strategy for the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy will be discussed in further detail below. One of its four priority areas, however, pertains to comprehensive, flexible and inclusive education and comprehensive sexuality education, which includes an indicator on the percentage of the female population aged 15 to 19 that does not attend school, broken down by reason for non-attendance, including pregnancy and the post-partum period.

231.Under the Benito Juárez scholarship programmes, pregnant women and young mothers are encouraged to continue their studies during pregnancy and after giving birth. In the first semester of the 2023/24 school year, an improvement in the number of women who resumed their studies was reported: of the 24,409 scholarship recipients, 50.42 per cent were women aged 18 or older, and 61.19 per cent of women aged 30 or older resumed their studies at the upper secondary education level.

15 (c)

232.The 2023 amendment of the General Act on Women’s Access to a Life Free from Violence is aimed at removing materials that promote gender stereotypes from educational programmes.

233.Under the “New Mexican School” framework, the Ministry of Education promotes active participation and leadership among girls and adolescent girls, especially in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Over the period 2019–2024, 12 courses and 250 programmes were offered, and 645 resources were produced, through the @prende.mx platform, with a view to promoting careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Recommendations for pedagogical practices free from gender bias are included in books for educators from the first level of preschool onwards, and inquiry-based learning using a science, technology, engineering and mathematics approach is promoted from the first year of primary education onwards.

234.In July 2021, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, in conjunction with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and Cisco, launched a programme on digital skills for Mexican women of the twenty-first century, under which free training is provided to Mexican women older than 16. By March 2023, 582 course completion certificates had been issued.

235.Since 2021, the National Polytechnic Institute has had a programme of women mentors in technical fields, which is aimed at dismantling gender roles and stereotypes that discourage women from pursuing the sciences. In all, 27 women researchers from the National Research System serve as mentors, and 75 per cent of women students who participated as mentees remained in the programme.

236.In October 2022, the “Women in the sky” programme was launched to provide economic support to women studying aeronautics and aerospace sciences to fund a short stay at the Aeronautical University in Querétaro. In the first year, scholarships were awarded to 14 students from Chile, Colombia and Peru.

237.The “Conéctate” (Get connected) virtual educational platform developed by the National Council for the Prevention of Discrimination is open to the public and serves to promote virtual educational processes with a view to building a culture of equality and respect for the fundamental rights and freedoms of all people.

15 (d)

238.The 2019 amendment to article 3 of the Constitution stipulates that all programmes and plans of study must include sexual and reproductive education. In the General Act on the Rights of Children and Adolescents, emphasis is placed on the importance of comprehensive sexuality education.

239.Under the “New Mexican School” framework, it is recognized that sexual and reproductive rights and comprehensive sexuality education enable children and adolescents to make free, informed and responsible decisions. Over the period 2019–2023, training was provided to 15,232 educators.

240.Over the period 2018–2022, the budget allocated to the federative entities for implementation of comprehensive sexuality education was 41,737,861 pesos.

241.At adolescent healthcare centres in rural hospitals and rural medical units under the Mexican Social Security Institute’s “Bienestar” programme, young people aged 10 to 19 are able to participate in educational sessions on such issues as mental health, sexual and reproductive health, and violence. In 2023, adolescent-friendly sexual and reproductive healthcare services were being offered in 91.1 per cent of municipalities in Mexico. In addition, abortion services were established in 125 centres, to provide abortion care on various grounds.

242.Over the period 2022–2023, the working group on comprehensive sexuality education and training, coordinated by the Ministry of Education, provided training to 18,436 educators and conducted six virtual seminars attended by 2,792 educators. In 2020, the Ministry of Health held a two-part intergenerational dialogue on the question “Is there equality between men and women with respect to sexual and reproductive rights?”, in which 250 children and adolescents participated. In 2022, the National Population Council and the Ministry of Education conducted an online course on comprehensive sexuality education for educational communities, providing training to more than 80,000 public servants (see annex 1-D).

15 (e)

243.The Ministry of Education advanced a strategy on violence-free schools, under which the 32 federative entities developed state protocols with guidelines for steps to be taken at schools to detect, prevent and address cases of violence against children or adolescents.

244.Materials contained in the strategy include guidelines for preventing and responding to sexual violence at facilities belonging to units affiliated with the Office of the Deputy Minister of Upper Secondary Education and protocols for preventing and responding to violence in schools.

245.The National Council for the Prevention of Discrimination developed a guide for combating discrimination-based bullying in schools in order to draw attention to discriminatory practices and violence in schools and develop tools to counteract those phenomena.

246.In 2024, a mechanism for institutions of higher education to prevent and respond to sexual harassment and bullying using an intercultural approach was established.

247.In 2022, the Supreme Court, through its judicial precedents, developed the obligations of the authorities in potential cases of sexual abuse of children or adolescents in educational centres, which include upholding the best interest of the child, implementing a gender perspective, requiring the necessary evidence and providing support to victims.

248.In February 2023, the National Commission for the Prevention and Elimination of Violence against Women and the Ministry of Education signed a cooperation agreement to prevent and eradicate violence against women in higher education.

P.Paragraph 16

16 (a)

249.In the second quarter of 2024, 46 per cent of women aged 15 years and over were economically active. Accordingly, women had a higher economic participation rate than they did before the pandemic.

250.The National Institute for Women, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and the National Council for the Prevention of Discrimination are promoting certification to Mexican Standard NMX-R-025-SCFI-2015 on equal employment and non-discrimination, with a particular focus on the promotion of equal opportunity in staff selection and training. As of September 2024, 681 workplaces had been certified, accounting for 995,854 workers, 47.3 per cent of whom were women.

251.In 2022, the Inter-Agency Committee for Gender Equality in Financial Entities was established under the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit, to promote, in a cross-cutting manner, the right to equality in employment, the right to non‑discrimination and equal access to quality financial products and services within the entities comprising the Mexican financial system.

252.In November 2023, the “Programa MujerES” was established by Banco Nacional de Comercio Exterior and Nacional Financiera, to provide women entrepreneurs with credit, factoring and training opportunities. Following the date of its launch to January 2024, support was provided to 467 women entrepreneurs, with a credit volume of 1,394 million pesos and budgetary spending of 3 million pesos.

253.The “Jóvenes construyendo el futuro” (Young people building the future) programme provides young people in Mexico with tools to develop skills and train for a profession or trade. Since 2018, a total of 2,973,306 young people, 58 per cent of them women, have benefited from the programme.

16 (b)

254.The National Programme for Equality between Women and Men sets out measures for the inclusion of women in the labour market, without discrimination and with equal pay. The Ministry of Labour and Social Security, the Ministry of the Public Service, the Ministry of the Interior, the National Council for the Prevention of Discrimination and the National Minimum Wage Commission are in charge of implementing such measures.

255.A new minimum wage policy was introduced to settle a historical debt by providing a dignified wage for the lowest-earning workers. With recent increases in the minimum wage, the gender wage gap was reduced by 20 per cent at the municipal level in the period 2019–2022. In December 2023, an increase of 3.5 million employed women, compared with pre-pandemic figures, was recorded.

16 (c)

256.The regulations governing the agencies of the federal administration allow, among other things, the granting of paid leave to employees for childbirth, adoption and breastfeeding; the establishment of agreements with private day-care centres; and the establishment of agreements with educational institutions for the provision of care to newborn babies.

257.The Mexican Social Security Institute operates two types of childcare schemes: on-site childcare facilities in companies, comprising nine on-site day-care centres, with a capacity to care for 1,681 children, as of July 2024, ; and off-site facilities, the capacity of which was increased from 629 places in 2018 to 834 places in July 2024. As of July 2024, a total of 178,582 beneficiaries (117,909 mothers and 60,673 fathers) were recorded as having received childcare services in 1,275 units.

258.The day-care centres of the Mexican Social Security Institute provide care for children between the ages of 43 days and 4 years. For the period 2019–2023, services were provided to a total of 167,409 persons (112,756 mothers and 54,653 fathers).

259.The child welfare and development centres of the Institute of Social Security and Social Services for State Employees care for a total of 21,508 children between the ages of 60 days and 6 years whose parents are entitled to coverage under the Institute. They provide balanced meals, preventive and curative medical consultations, psychomotor stimulation and preschool education.

260.A support programme exists for the well-being of children of working mothers who are seeking employment or studying and who do not have childcare services, with the aim of giving them greater access to, and more stability in, work and education. In the period 2021–2023, 167,480 mothers, fathers and guardians took part in this programme, and support was provided to 310,175 children between 0 and 3 years of age, 152,881 of whom were girls.

261.The Social Security Act was amended in 2020 with regard to the provision of day-care services, and in 2023 with regard to the allocation of pregnancy and postpartum grants and the provision of gestational and neonatal nutritional support services.

262.In 2023, the Chamber of Deputies approved an increase in paternity leave to 20 working days of paid leave for male employees and 30 days in the event of complications during childbirth. The associated legislative process is under way.

263.A guide for setting up and operating lactation rooms in workplaces was developed by the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, the Mexican Social Security Institute and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Opinions of the judicial branch

264.In 2018, the Supreme Court ruled that, to promote the sharing of childcare responsibilities between mothers and fathers, day-care services should be provided to fathers under the same terms as those provided to mothers affiliated to the Mexican Social Security Institute.

265.In 2021, the Supreme Court, the Council of the Federal Judiciary and the Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary amended their internal regulations to equalize paternity and maternity leave at three months, regardless of family configuration.

266.In 2020, the Council of the Federal Judiciary implemented the “Lactancia digna” (Dignified breastfeeding) programme, under which the period during which breastfeeding breaks may be taken has been extended up to a baby’s second birthday and 155 lactation rooms have been established in Mexico. Furthermore, measures such as telecommuting were adopted to facilitate the sharing of responsibilities, especially for persons who are breastfeeding and those who have caregiving responsibilities.

16 (d)

267.In July 2019, the Federal Labour Act and the Social Security Act were amended to incorporate a definition of domestic workers and improve their working conditions, including by establishing an obligation for employers to enrol them in the social security regime.

268.Following the ratification by Mexico of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189), in 2022, the Social Security Act was amended to recognize the right of domestic workers to social security. In 2023, it became mandatory for employers to enrol such workers in the social security regime.

269.In 2020, the Chamber of Deputies adopted amendments to articles 4 and 73 of the Constitution, so as to provide by law for the recognition of the right to care, the freedom to provide care and to decide how to allocate one’s own time, and the establishment of the National Care System and public care services, among other provisions. The associated legislative process is under way.

270.In March 2024, the Chamber of Deputies sent a bill to the Senate for the amendment of various provisions of the General Act on Social Development, with regard to care. The bill defines caregiving work as activities to sustain life. The bill provides for the National Care Policy to be an integral part of the National Social Development Policy.

271.In September 2024, an initiative was launched to enact a general law on the National Care System. The associated legislative process is under way.

272.The Constitution of Mexico City recognizes the right to care. In 2022, an amendment was adopted in the State of Jalisco establishing the right to care under the local constitution and, in 2024, the Comprehensive Care System Act was adopted by the Congress of the State of Jalisco. A care system has been established in San Pedro Garza García, Nuevo León.

273.The National Institute for Women established a technical committee for the coordination of the National Care System, composed of the following authorities: Ministry of Social Welfare, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Mexican Social Security Institute, National Institute for Senior Citizens, National System for the Comprehensive Development of the Family and National Council for the Prevention of Discrimination, with the support of the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit.

274.In 2023, a care map was drawn up to help members of the public find care services and to provide access to statistics, indicators and maps, with a view to developing care programmes and public policies.

275.In 2018, the Supreme Court found article 13, section II, of the Social Security Act to be unconstitutional, since it excluded domestic workers from the mandatory social security regime. The Court ordered the Mexican Social Security Institute to conduct a pilot test of public policy and asked it to propose regulatory amendments to the Congress of the Union to guarantee domestic workers’ right to social security.

276.In October 2023, the Supreme Court recognized for the first time the right to care for others, to be cared for and to practice self-care as a stand-alone right, which implies that all persons are entitled to care and that persons are not forced to care for others owing to gender imperatives. This ruling constitutes a measure of social justice for women, since they are the ones who, to a great extent, carry out caregiving work.

277.At the international level, Mexico has promoted recognition of the right to care by participating in the Global Alliance for Care; submitting contributions to the advisory opinion of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on the subject; and initiating three United Nations resolutions in the General Assembly, the Human Rights Council and the Commission for Social Development.

278.The above-mentioned measures contribute to the implementation of the ILO Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189).

16 (e)

279.The ILO Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No. 190) was ratified in 2022 and entered into force in 2023. In 2023, the instrument of ratification of the Protocol of 2014 to the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29) was deposited.

280.The following instruments and mechanisms serve to prevent, address and eradicate gender-based violence, discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace: a model protocol for preventing, addressing and eradicating workplace violence (2020); a protocol for preventing, addressing and punishing sexual harassment (2020); a handbook for the use of inclusive and non-sexist language in the public service (2022); a manual for the handling of complaints to ethics committees (2022); and an action protocol for ethics committees on handling complaints and preventing acts of discrimination (2023).

281.Under the protocol for detecting, caring for and supporting persons affected by sexual and/or workplace harassment, 3,936 services have been provided and benefits totalling 2,678,962 pesos have been obtained for employees, primarily on the grounds of dismissals owing to pregnancy, discrimination and harassment.

282.The code of ethics of the federal administration denounces sexual and workplace harassment. Based on the general guidelines for the establishment and functioning of ethics committees, which were published in 2020, various agencies of the federal administration have issued statements of zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

Q.Paragraph 17

17 (a)

283.In 2023, the Supreme Court ordered the Federal Congress to repeal various articles of the Federal Criminal Code regulating the crime of abortion and imposing penalties on healthcare personnel who terminate unwanted pregnancies, since those articles violated the rights of pregnant women and other pregnant persons.

284.In April 2020, a law was enacted to grant amnesty to persons who had been prosecuted under the Federal Criminal Code for the crime of abortion in any of its forms, provided that the act had been carried out without violence and with consent.

285.At the judicial level, the Supreme Court ruled on the unconstitutionality of the crime of abortion in Coahuila in 2021, in Hidalgo in 2020 and at the federal level in Aguascalientes and Chihuahua in 2023. The legitimate interest of women and civil society groups to challenge these norms has been recognized.

286.One of the measures included in the 2020–2024 programme of specific action on sexual and reproductive health is an increase in the availability of healthcare units offering safe abortion services in the federative entities.

287.In the period 2021–2023, the Ministry of Health provided support for voluntary termination of pregnancy in 20 cases, the majority of which (85 per cent) were performed on girls and teenagers between 10 and 19 years of age. There are technical guidelines for safe abortion care in Mexico.

288.In November 2022, the National Centre for Gender Equity and Reproductive Health issued general guidelines for combating gender-based violence and promoting safe abortions, which contained basic criteria for the provision of care in medical units, to ensure that women and other persons able to gestate who require safe abortion services have access to timely and comprehensive care. To date, there are 223 safe abortion facilities.

289.In 2023, the Ministry of Health disseminated the Supreme Court rulings on safe abortion in all medical units, through the 35 medical subdivisions and regional hospitals.

290.As of September 2024, the following 13 federative entities have laws authorizing the legal termination of pregnancy, with the woman’s consent, at least until the twelfth week of gestation, for any reason whatsoever: Baja California, Baja California Sur, Coahuila, Colima, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico City, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, Sinaloa and Veracruz.

291.In October 2023, free standard healthcare services were established in the federative entities under the “Bienestar” programme of the Mexican Social Security Institute. A total of 1,884 specialist physicians, including gynaecologists and paediatricians, have been hired in marginalized regions.

17 (b)

292.In 2021, the Supreme Court urged the Congress of the Union to regulate the limitations on the right to conscientious objection, in order to avoid the denial of healthcare services, such as legal termination of pregnancy.

293.In October 2023, the Chamber of Deputies adopted amendments to the General Health Act with regard to conscientious objection, so as to ensure the availability, at all times, of non-objecting professional medical and nursing personnel in the national health system. The associated legislative process is under way.

294.While obstetric violence is discussed below, it should be noted that, in 2022, the Mexican Social Security Institute implemented a comprehensive maternal care model, which has helped to reduce deliveries by caesarean section by 1 per cent. This means that 9,000 women were spared an unnecessary caesarean section. At the national level, the model is being used in 203 hospital centres affiliated with the Mexican Social Security Institute and has already benefited 59,006 women.

17 (c)

295.In 2021, the General Act on Women’s Access to a Life Free from Violence was amended to stipulate that protection orders for safeguarding the integrity and life of women victims of violence should be issued within four hours of the facts being reported, whether informally or at the request of the victims. Such orders can be extended for up to 60 days, on a renewable basis, during the investigation, or until the victim is no longer at risk.

296.In October 2023, the Federal Criminal Code was amended to establish the non‑applicability of statutory limitations to the criminal prosecution and punishment of sexual crimes committed against minors and to criminalize vicarious violence. This has been supplemented by rulings of the Supreme Court on access to alimony and financial compensation, in cases where a marriage or relationship of cohabitation has ended.

297.In March 2024, the General Act on the Rights of Children and Adolescents was amended to include the prohibition of corporal and degrading punishment as a means of correcting or disciplining children and adolescents and to provide for positive parenting.

298.A procedure was put in place at medical centres affiliated with the Mexican Social Security Institute to identify, and provide medical care and counselling to, women who are victims of physical and/or sexual violence, within the framework of Mexican Official Standard (NOM) 046-SSA2-2055 on “Domestic or sexual violence against women. Criteria for prevention and treatment” (Code – 2650-B03-006).

17 (d)

299.In 2021, the Supreme Court noted that obstetric violence is a type of violence exercised by healthcare professionals on the bodies and reproductive processes of pregnant women and other pregnant persons, constituting a convergence of institutional violence and gender-based violence.

300.In 2022, the Chamber of Deputies adopted amendments to the General Health Act and the General Act on Women’s Access to a Life Free from Violence to recognize obstetric violence as a type of violence against women. The associated legislative process is under way. A total of 29 federative entities have a definition of obstetric violence in their laws and 7 of them have criminalized it.

17 (e)

301.The Mexican Social Security Institute has an electronic health record with digital informed consent forms for medical personnel to provide permanent contraceptive solutions or perform sterilizations at the request of beneficiaries.

302.There are technical guidelines for the prescription and use of contraceptive methods in Mexico, intended for healthcare personnel who provide family planning and birth control services. In July 2024, the National Centre for Gender Equity and Reproductive Health published technical guidelines for no-scalpel vasectomies, aimed at managerial and operational healthcare personnel for the provision of such services in various healthcare institutions. In August, technical guidelines for the provision of post-obstetric event contraception services were published. Draft official standard 005 SSA2 2024 on family planning services serves to update the 1994 standard, from an inclusive perspective with regard to the choice of contraceptive methods.

303.The Ministry of Health has increased the proper use of informed and signed consent before permanent methods are carried out. Between 2018 and July 2024, 1,114,909 bilateral tubal ligations and 236,330 vasectomies were carried out on women and men who did not wish or no longer wished to have children.

304.In 2021, the Supreme Court ruled that non-consensual female sterilization is an act of violence that contravenes the right not to be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. It ruled that prior, full, free and informed consent should be obtained from the woman or other person able to gestate before implementing a permanent contraceptive method.

17 (f)

305.A general cooperation agreement on the handling of obstetric emergencies sets out the commitment of the Ministry of Health, the Mexican Social Security Institute and the Institute of Social Security and Social Services for State Employees to take care of any woman experiencing an obstetric emergency and reduce maternal mortality.

306.In the period 2017–2022, the proportion of total pregnant adolescents receiving care from the Ministry of Health rose from 70.3 per cent to 87.2 per cent.

307.Between 2018 and 2023, through the National Strategy of Community Health Teams for Well-Being, the Institute of Social Security and Social Services for State Employees provided a total of 1,229,543 first and subsequent pregnancy consultations.

308.In 2022, a set of ten principles for midwives to prevent maternal deaths in the context of COVID-19 was published.

309.A dedicated pregnancy and childbirth hotline was set up and the vaccination of pregnant women was prioritized.

310.In April 2024, the Bienestar programme of the Mexican Social Security Institute launched the “La clínica es nuestra” (The clinic is ours) programme, under which there have been 74,168 deliveries, 827,814 prenatal consultations, 1,275,045 gynaecological examinations, 2,587,178 nutritional status assessments of children under the age of 5 years and 106,247 HIV consultations for pregnant women, including those not covered by social security.

311.In the last 12 years, maternal deaths in Mexico have fallen by 46 per cent. In 2011, the maternal mortality ratio stood at 47.7 per cent. In 2023, this rate was reduced to 25 per cent.

17 (g)

312.The National Strategy for the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy is a comprehensive strategy that encompasses the three levels of government in the 32 federative entities. It is coordinated by the National Population Council and the National Institute for Women, with the latter serving as the technical secretariat. The Strategy is implemented by the Assembly of the Inter-Agency Group for the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy, its executive committee, technical committee and five working groups. Efforts have been made to strengthen the implementation of the Strategy countrywide.

313.In September 2021, the second phase of the Strategy was adopted, for the period 2021–2024. This phase provides for improved executive coordination and a new implementation framework, among other aspects.

314.The National Institute for Women has earmarked resources from its Fund for the Well-being and Advancement of Women for 189 projects in the 32 federative entities, for a total of 536.9 million pesos. This has helped to bolster actions under the Strategy. In the period 2019–2024, the Ministry of Health allocated earmarked budgetary funding for the Strategy, as well as for the outfitting of user-friendly facilities and the purchase of mobile “EDUSEX” clinics offering adolescent-friendly sexual and reproductive health information and services in strategic geographical regions. Those services are available in 31 federative entities.

315.The National System for the Comprehensive Protection of Children and Adolescents is giving impetus to the implementation of the Strategy at the national level through the Commission of Executive Secretariats for the Comprehensive Protection of Children and Adolescents of the National and State Systems, so as to have access at all levels of government to various sources of funding through the federal administration.

R.Paragraph 18

18 (a)

316.In keeping with its National Development Plan, Mexico is committed to combating poverty among the most vulnerable sectors of the population.

317.In the period 2018–2022, the percentage of the population living in multidimensional poverty in Mexico fell from 41.9 per cent to 36.3 per cent. In other words, almost 5 million people were no longer in that situation. In the last four years, 3.5 million women in Mexico moved out of moderate poverty, almost 700,000 moved out of extreme poverty and 1 million were no longer in situations of insufficient income. Since 2018, close to 14 million women and girls have benefited from direct support delivered through 30 programmes.

318.In 2020, the State’s obligation to guarantee the provision of pensions to older adults, financial assistance to persons with disabilities and grants to students living in poverty was enshrined in the Constitution.

319.Between 2018 and July 2024, 6,801,643 women benefited from the pension for older adults. Between 2019 and July 2024, the Welfare Allowance Programme for Persons with Disabilities paid out 621,760 pensions to women, including 74,962 in Indigenous municipalities, 3,198 to Afro-Mexican women and 36,462 in marginalized communities.

320.Between 2018 and May 2024, the Programme for the Comprehensive Well-Being of Indigenous Peoples supported 64,264 women through measures to promote the Indigenous economy in 24 federative entities and 9,887 women through financial inclusion and marketing activities.

321.In the period 2019–2023, the Sembrando Vida (Sowing Life) Programme helped 151,186 women to achieve food self-sufficiency, with a particular focus on peasant, Indigenous and Afro-Mexican women.

322.The increase in the minimum wage led to a higher number of women having jobs and to a reduction in poverty. In 2023, as part of a territorial strategy for fostering autonomy and economic empowerment, 188 economic empowerment nodes were established at the national level, serving more than 25,000 women.

323.In the period 2018–2020, the Programme on Development of the Social Economy of the Ministry of Social Welfare, in collaboration with the International Fund for Agricultural Development, awarded 3,093 financial grants exclusively to women from Chiapas, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Puebla and Veracruz.

324.In 2022 and 2023, the National Institute for Women conducted the Women in Digital Transformation Programme, benefiting 717 women micro-entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs.

18 (b)

325.In 2019, a programme was established to include domestic workers in the mandatory social security regime, offering them coverage for illness, maternity, childcare and social services. They are also entitled to disability and life insurance, as well as retirement, unemployment and old-age insurance. As of February 2024, 62,831 domestic workers were affiliated, 68 per cent of whom were women. By February 2023, 12,630 of the beneficiaries who had participated in the pilot test had already received pensions. As of June 2023, the Mexican Social Security Institute had registered 60,110 jobs associated with domestic workers (67 per cent of them women) and 75,162 beneficiaries.

326.In 2022, the “Bienestar” programme of the Mexican Social Security Institute launched health services to provide persons who are not affiliated to any social security institution with comprehensive free medical and hospital care, including medicines. The “Jóvenes construyendo el futuro” (Young people building the future) programme includes beneficiaries of the Mexican Social Security Institute.

327.In 2022, the Mexican Social Security Institute launched the “Código Cáncer” (Code Cancer) strategy to promote early intervention, reduced waiting times and timely treatment. In Mexico, human papillomavirus vaccination campaigns target girls between 11 and 13 years of age and women and girls between 11 and 49 years of age who are living with HIV.

328.In the period 2018–2021, as part of a programme for the timely detection and treatment of cervical cancer, 71,060 women were screened, including 342 adolescents and 70,718 adults.

329.In the period 2018–2023, 491,931 mammograms were performed on 6,285 women under the age of 40 years and 485,646 women over the age of 40 years, as part of a programme for the timely detection and treatment of breast cancer.

330.In the period 2018–2020, a life insurance programme for women heads of household funded social security schemes for 134,934 individuals, including 68,081 women and 9,698 children between the ages of 0 and 5 years, whose mothers had died.

18 (c)

331.In 2019, the Credit Institutions Act was amended to prioritize the supply of financial products and services that meet the specific needs of women in terms of savings, investment, credit and protection mechanisms.

332.Various programmes provide financial assistance to women. In 2018, a national financing programme for micro-entrepreneurs granted 469,028 microloans to 300,367 women, including 5,205 to Indigenous women and 412 to women with disabilities. In 2019, the programme granted 556,236 microloans to 408,249 women, with 9,413 going to Indigenous women and 633 to women with disabilities.

333.The Microcredit for Well-Being Programme has provided loans to women who are victims/survivors of gender-based violence and those in vulnerable situations. Indigenous and Afro-Mexican women accounted for 57 per cent of beneficiaries of the programme for the strengthening of Indigenous economies operated under the Programme for the Comprehensive Well-Being of Indigenous Peoples.

334.In the period 2018–2023, as part of the efforts undertaken by Fideicomisos Instituidos en Relación con la Agricultura (FIRA, a trust fund for agricultural development) to bolster financial inclusion, 62,712 women received grants amounting to a total of 1,881 million pesos. In 2023, the first social gender bond, worth 3,000 million pesos, was issued on the local debt market by the FIRA Development Bank. Between 2020 and 2023, 10,636 women benefited from this funding.

335.In 2023, Financiera para el Bienestar, a social banking institution, provided support to 162 women through solidarity loans and to 2,627 women through productive loans. In total, 61,498 support services were provided to women who had received solidarity loans and 122 women received support through Libertad Mujer (“women’s freedom”) loans.

336.In 2021, the Ministry of Economic Affairs implemented a financial assistance programme for family micro-businesses and granted 18,117 loans to women.

337.The Mujer Exporta MX (Mexican Women’s Export) Programme promotes the inclusion of women-led micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises in foreign trade. In 2020, it served to connect Mexican women entrepreneurs with importers in the United States and Canada. In 2021, the programme was expanded to target buyers in Australia, Japan and New Zealand. In 2022, 88 businesses belonging to Indigenous women and women in the LGBTTTIQ+ community participated in the Programme.

338.In November 2023, the “Programa MujerES” was established by Banco Nacional de Comercio Exterior (Bancomext) and Nacional Financiera (Nafin), to provide credit, factoring and training opportunities for the empowerment and capacity-building of women entrepreneurs, through the Mujeres Industria and Mujeres Bancomext credit lines. As of 31 January 2024, 488 loans had been granted to 467 women entrepreneurs, with a credit volume of 1,394 million pesos and budgetary spending of 3,000 million pesos.

339.The National Commission for the Protection and Defence of Users of Financial Services and the Mexican Association of Insurance Institutions established “Proyecto Minerva” with a view to enabling Mexican women to build the financial capacities needed to gain access to, compare and choose financial services. Over the period 2022–2023, 24,177 women were enrolled in the programme.

S.Paragraph 19

19 (a)

340.In December 2018, the decree issuing the Act establishing the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples was promulgated.

341.In 2019, the Mexican Constitution was amended to recognize Afro-Mexican communities and peoples, irrespective of how they self-identify, as part of the pluricultural composition of the nation. In September 2024, the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate adopted an amendment to article 2 of the Constitution, under which those peoples are recognized as subjects of public law with legal personality and their own heritage, cultural identity and the right to make decisions in accordance with their own regulatory systems, among other provisions.

342.The Chamber of Deputies adopted a decision approving the proposed General Act on the Consultation of Indigenous and Afro-Mexican Peoples and Communities. The associated legislative process is under way. The Act will regulate the right to free, prior and informed consultations.

343.In 2023, Mexico hosted the Regional Consultation of the Americas and held a national dialogue on the adoption of general recommendation No. 39 of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. Implementation of the recommendation is being monitored. For example, in 2023, there was an event on progress and challenges in the implementation of general recommendation No. 39, which was targeted at 44 Indigenous Mexican women. In 2024, Mexico hosted the sixth convening of the Trilateral Working Group on Violence against Indigenous Women between Mexico, the United States and Canada (see annex 1-K).

Education

344.Article 3 of the Constitution of Mexico stipulates that plurilingual and intercultural education will be provided to Indigenous Peoples and communities.

345.Through the Indigenous Education Support Programme, meals, accommodation and complementary activities are provided to Afro-Mexican and Indigenous persons aged 5 to 29 at public and community schools of all types and levels, through 1,391 residences and cafeterias that support 40,129 women. There are intercultural universities, which have mechanisms for preventing, addressing and punishing sexual harassment.

346.In all, 16.4 million pesos were allocated to specialized courses of study in Indigenous rights and the rights of Indigenous and Afro-Mexican women.

347.In 2023, the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences offered a specialized course of study on the human rights of Indigenous and Afro-Mexican women, which benefited 228 women and 162 men.

Social security

348.In 2023, 351,000,214 beneficiaries who self-identified as Indigenous persons were enrolled with the Institute of Social Security and Social Services for State Employees, primarily in Chiapas, Hidalgo, Yucatán and Mexico City.

349.In May 2023, the Fundación Cántaro Azul A.C. “Ixchel” and the Mexican Social Security Institute signed a collaboration agreement under which the former provides free interpretation and translation services for Indigenous languages at health centres. From October 2021 to August 2024, 10 interpreters were working at four rural hospitals in the State of Chiapas (Altamirano, Bochil, Ocosingo and San Cristóbal). Interpretation services have been provided on 3,364 occasions for speakers of Tzotzil, Tzeltal and Tojol-ab’al, 67.5 per cent of whom were women.

Health

350.The Ministry of Health is developing a draft Mexican Official Standard on the practice of traditional, community and professional midwifery and to establish criteria regulating delivery and recovery rooms.

351.The National Centre for Gender Equity and Reproductive Health has an inclusive healthcare model, which is implemented by health units that offer stigma- and discrimination-free care with a focus on Indigenous persons, migrants and Afro‑Mexican persons. Healthcare personnel have received training on providing care in Indigenous languages. As of June 2024, training had been provided to 121 staff members, benefiting 3,766 people in the municipalities where those health units are located, 536 of whom were Indigenous.

352.The strategy for sexual and reproductive health in Indigenous communities is aimed at, over the medium and long term, reducing and ultimately eliminating unplanned and unwanted pregnancies among Indigenous adolescents, as well as at preventing sexually-transmitted infections and HIV, through education in Indigenous languages.

353.The Mexican Social Security Institute provides services to women in Indigenous communities through employees who speak Indigenous languages, traditional birth attendants and doctors on health teams, and staff members who have received training on the intercultural approach to health. From July 2022 to July 2024, 6,513 volunteer birth attendants offered training sessions to 6,111 Indigenous women on topics related to pregnancy, delivery and postnatal care at the medical unit.

354.Culturally and linguistically relevant talks and workshops on topics related to, inter alia, women’s rights, sexual and reproductive rights, and sexual and reproductive health are organized under the Programme for the Comprehensive Well-Being of Indigenous Peoples, through its community outreach programme on the rights of Indigenous and Afro-Mexican women.

Social programmes and economic empowerment

355.From 2018 to 2024, Indigenous and Afro-Mexican women accounted for 57 per cent of beneficiaries of the programme for the strengthening of Indigenous economies.

356.From 2019 to 2023, 15,483 women-led stores were opened under the programme to supply rural areas. Over the same period, 3,388,111 women received milk under the social milk distribution programme.

357.From 2020 to 2023, supplies were distributed to 658,039 women farmers, who received up to 600 kg of fertilizer for their crops through the fertilizer programme. Between 2022 and 2023, 713,357 women benefited from agricultural incentives under the farming for well-being programme.

358.The programme on business management for speakers of Indigenous languages, managed by the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit, is aimed at improving business management and personal finance skills.

359.Over the period 2022–2023, 24,700,000 pesos were allocated to 76 projects focused on addressing, preventing and eradicating gender-based violence; political participation of women; and child, early and forced marriage. Some 548 women from Afro-Mexican and Indigenous Peoples and communities benefited from those projects.

Indigenous women environmental defenders

360.From 2018 to 2023, various projects and training courses were carried out under the conservation for sustainable development programme to benefit local communities in protected natural areas. Women were actively involved in the associated conservation projects and teams.

361.In 2021, Mexico and Canada promoted the Indigenous Peoples’ Dialogue on Climate Change, Biodiversity and Desertification, which was attended by Indigenous Peoples from all regions. The importance of the Escazú Agreement was discussed.

362.In 2023, the Supreme Court published a protocol for adjudicating cases involving environmental access rights, a tool to support the interpretation and application of the Escazú Agreement.

363.In February 2024, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations Development Programme held a round table on regional efforts to support environmental defenders under the Escazú Agreement, as viewed from the local level. Participants included representatives from agencies responsible for protecting human rights defenders in 30 federative entities. The round table was aimed at supporting the consolidation of the regional action plan presented at the third meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Escazú Agreement, held in Chile in April 2024.

364.At that Conference, and as part of its feminist foreign policy, Mexico promoted gender mainstreaming in the implementation of the Escazú Agreement.

19 (b)

365.In November 2023, more than 10,500 hectares (ha) of lands in San Sebastián Teponahuaxtlán, Jalisco, were returned, enabling access to land tenure for 13 Wixárika Indigenous women, who now own 650 ha of a reclaimed area covering 2,500 ha.

366.In 2023, participants in the School of Rights of Wixárika, Náayeri, O’dam/ Au’dam and Mexikan Women reflected on the exercise of their rights, stewardship of their territories and their involvement in political organization processes. The National Council for the Prevention of Discrimination, the National Institute for Women and the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples supported those processes.

Access to land and territory and land rights

367.The National Institute for Women and the Ministry for Agrarian, Territorial and Urban Development developed a comprehensive strategy for promoting access to land and territory for rural and Indigenous women and recognizing their land rights. Under that strategy, training has been provided to women who hold, or wish to hold, communal landholdings within an ejido, joint landholdings in other rural communities, or land rights within an ejido without enjoying other communal rights; to women who are, or wish to become, officially recognized residents of an ejido or other rural community; and to women who hold positions in bodies that represent or monitor agrarian interests (see annex 1-L).

368.In 2022, the National Institute for Women signed a coordination agreement with the Office of the Agrarian Affairs Advocate to safeguard the rights of Indigenous and rural women. As of 2023, 13,334 intestate succession proceedings had been carried out in support of rural and Indigenous women in 32 federative entities.

369.Efforts were made to update internal regulations and communal statutes to mainstream gender, interculturalism and protection of environmental assets, and 4,950 documents have been updated. Those efforts also contributed to the election of 23,000 women as members of ejido councils in 2023. The participation of women in bodies that represent agrarian interests rose from 17 per cent in 2019 to 33 per cent in 2024.

370.Efforts were made to promote gender mainstreaming and the inclusion of affirmative actions in the conservation for sustainable development programme; the drinking water, drainage and sanitation programme; and the sustainable forest development for well-being support programme.

371.In 2022, the Agrarian Act was amended to enshrine the right of daughters to inherit parcels of land and other rights inherent to the status of communal landholder within an ejido enjoyed by property owners.

372.The Council of the Federal Judiciary published guidelines for Indigenous and Afro-Mexican individuals to disseminate knowledge about access to justice, which are available in 20 Indigenous languages.

19 (c)

373.Afro-Mexican women were involved in the development of the National Programme for Equality between Women and Men. The Programme includes eight targeted measures and one priority strategy focused on Afro-Mexican women, which address political participation and decision-making, access to health, medication, sexual and reproductive health and elimination of discrimination. The National Programme for Equality and Non-Discrimination contains strategies and lines of action in five priority areas (education, health, employment, social security and justice), which are aimed at eliminating discriminatory practices against groups that have historically been victims of discrimination.

374.In March 2020, the first House for the Development of Afro-Mexican Women was established in Oaxaca. The facility includes a shelter for victims and is used to provide medical, legal and psychological services. In 2021, four projects aimed at preventing violence against Afro-Mexican women in Guerrero, Oaxaca, Coahuila and Veracruz were implemented.

375.In 2023, the National Institute for Women held a national summit of Afro‑Mexican women, which served to build a network of women mentors providing the opportunity for cultural, educational and political training. In 2023, there were two editions of the national prize for promoting the rights of Afro-Mexican women. In 2024, 100 women participated in four working groups held in Guerrero aimed at strengthening the political skills of Afro-Mexican women using an anti-racist and intersectional approach.

376.In 2022 and 2024, the Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary held its first summit of Afro-Mexican and Afrodescendent women.

T.Paragraph 20

20 (a)

377.In amparo appeal No. 388/2022, the Supreme Court emphasized that, pursuant to article 111 of the Migration Act, the holding of foreign nationals in migrant holding centres should not exceed 36 hours, at which point such persons should be released for the duration of the proceedings.

378.In November 2020, the Migration Act and the Refugees, Complementary Protection and Political Asylum Act were amended, upholding, in cases involving migrant children and adolescents, the rights and principles enshrined in the General Act on the Rights of Children and Adolescents and its implementing regulations, including the right to not be deprived of liberty on migration-related grounds.

379.In May 2021, the Migration Act was amended to enshrine the principles of gender mainstreaming and the best interest of the child or adolescent.

20 (b)

380.The Mexican Refugee Agency expanded its case-processing capacity in response to the increase in the number of people seeking international protection and hired additional staff.

381.In addition to the central office, there are eight field offices with nine field offices, two liaison offices and two regional coordination offices in several federative entities, which support the protection of refugees and persons applying for refugee status and their integration into local communities.

382.The Mexican Refugee Agency developed tools to produce criteria for eligibility profiles, with a gender lens and a risk assessment based on the context of the country of origin. From 2020 to April 2024, 70,580 decisions on procedures involving women and girls were issued thanks to the use of legal and technical tools.

383.In collaboration with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, information notes on countries of origin, decisions with standardized reasoning and interview guides were developed. Those tools serve to provide technical and legal support for the issuance of decisions involving women and girls.

20 (c)

384.In May 2024, the Interministerial Commission for Comprehensive Care in Migration Matters adopted the guidelines for the care and protection of women in the context of migration, an outcome document of the Regional Conference on Migration.

385.The Mexican Refugee Agency has established 12 inter-agency round tables to address issues related to employment, health, education, identity and documentation. At the national level, there have been 94,524 needs assessment interviews, 12,956 readings of rights and obligations, 11,767 social assistance measures and 4,907 medical assistance measures.

386.Mexico has a comprehensive healthcare plan for the migrant population, a guide for healthcare for children and adolescents in the context of human mobility (2023), and a model for mental healthcare for migrant women and women in crisis (2023).

387.In September 2024, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and UN-Women Mexico signed a memorandum of understanding on mainstreaming gender and expanding the care response to the needs of women, young women and girls in all their diversity in situations of mobility.

388.Banco del Bienestar has made it possible for migrants and refugees to open bank accounts (using the credential issued by the National Institute of Migration or the certificate of refugee status issued by the Mexican Refugee Agency, respectively). Through coordination with the Ministry of Labour, they are thus able to obtain access to gainful employment.

389.See annex 1-M for information on the work undertaken by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in relation to services for migrant Mexican women, adolescent girls and girls abroad.

20 (d)

390.Under the National Programme for Equality between Women and Men, measures focused on women in the context of migration are implemented, addressing health, violence, peace and security.

391.In its annual reports on the fulfilment of the objectives set out in the Global Compact for Migration, Mexico has reported 356 measures, programmes and policies in support of the migrant population. Twenty-three per cent are focused on women, girls and adolescent girls.

392.The following mechanisms are in place to support the education of children and adolescents in situations of mobility: the Sectoral Education Programme 2020–2024, the protocol for ensuring access to basic education for children and adolescents in situations of migration in Mexico, and the programme for community preschool and basic education.

393.From 2018 to April 2024, the Ministry of Education, through its comprehensive strategy on services for the migrant population, expanded education services for migrant students in community preschool and primary education by 31 per cent, and increased the budget by 17 per cent. Those education services are offered in 13 federative entities and at 13 agricultural migrant camps. As of April 2024, services had been provided to 4,957 children and adolescents, 49 per cent of whom were female.

394.In May 2023, the Ministry of Education presented its diagnostic assessment on children in situations of mobility and barriers to their education, in coordination with UNICEF.

20 (e)

395.In 2019, the Interministerial Commission for Comprehensive Care in Migration Matters was established as part of an institutional strengthening effort aimed at addressing mobility-related issues.

396.The Executive Commission for Victim Support conducts gender-sensitive initiatives and provides services to Mexican and foreign women and girls who are migrating towards the United States, with a view to combating all types of criminal conduct.

397.In federative entities of transit, the support programme for women’s organizations in the federative entities serves to manage prevention and awareness-raising activities for migrant women and women day labourers. Areas with high levels of marginalization are given priority, and efforts are made to promote the hiring of interpreters and the appropriate use of referral services.

398.The National Institute of Migration, the National Institute for Women and UN‑Women developed a flyer consisting of care messages for women in the context of migration, which is used to raise awareness of the risks facing women in situations of mobility.

399.The Ministry of the Interior, in coordination with the National Institute of Migration, developed printed materials promoting the rights of displaced persons and children and adolescents in situations of mobility.

400.Mechanisms available to migrant women who are alleged victims of gender-based violence or any other offence include competency standard No. 1,425 on screening for potential victims of trafficking in persons during migration proceedings under the human rights protection framework (2021); the guide on the provision of support and protection for women in situations of migration near the southern border of Mexico (2022); the guide for protection officers on the identification and provision of support to women victims of violence in situations of migration (2022), developed by the National Institute of Migration, the National Institute for Women and UN‑Women; the training programme for new child protection officers and officers providing services to vulnerable groups (2022) of the National Institute of Migration; and the protocol for screening, identifying and providing support for migrants who are or may be victims of trafficking in persons in Mexico, which was most recently updated in 2022.

401.The Mexican Refugee Agency, with support from the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation, has a programme entitled “Ayuda en acción” (Aid in action). The objective of the programme is to provide support to asylum-seeking women and refugee women who are vulnerable to or survivors of sexual or gender-based violence, with a view to achieving their inclusion and integration in Mexico.

20 (f)

402.The Office of the Special Prosecutor for the Investigation of Crimes Involving Migrants and Refugees of the Prosecutor General’s Office facilitates access to justice for migrants and their families; investigates and prosecutes offences committed by or against migrants; and manages, coordinates and supervises reparation measures. From 2018 to 2024, 274 investigations were opened, and support was provided to 1,078 victims, 272 of whom were women or girls.

403.In 2020, the Mexican Refugee Agency and the Federal Public Defender Service concluded an agreement under which refugees, persons applying for refugee status and persons receiving complementary protection have access to legal advice and support.

404.In 2022, the National Missing Persons System approved guidelines for the mechanism for supporting search and investigation activities abroad, through which the National Search Commission and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs facilitate the investigation and prosecution of offences, among other efforts.

20 (g)

405.Since 2021, the National Institute for Women has been implementing a project entitled “Mujeres migrantes: frontera a frontera, tus derechos contigo” (Migrant women: your rights follow you from border to border), which includes measures involving the three levels of government, international organizations and academia under three main lines of action: territory, institutional strengthening and promotion of human rights (see annex 1-N).

406.Under the initiative, seed projects for migrant women heads of household, awareness-raising campaigns to promote employment inclusion and business ventures by women in migration-related situations have been developed, and several gender-sensitive public policy documents on migration-related issues have been prepared, including a set of 10 priority measures on gender and migration.

407.The migrant protection beta groups established by the National Institute of Migration are aimed at protecting and defending the rights of migrants. In 2018, services were provided to 143 women and 79 girls. In 2023, services were provided to 65,131 women and 25,000 girls.

U.Paragraph 21

21 (a)

408.In 2020, as part of efforts under the National Development Plan and the National Public Security Strategy, the Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection and the Ministry of the Interior established a Commission for the Implementation of the Amnesty Act, which ensures that individuals who have been wrongly deprived of their liberty in Mexico receive a second chance.

409.There are people who have benefited from alternatives to deprivation of liberty. In 2022, for the first time, two Tzotzil Indigenous women were released in the State of Chiapas. In 2023, one woman from Guerrero was released from a prison in Morelos.

21 (b)

410.Under the support programme for women’s organizations in the federative entities, measures are taken to work with women who are deprived of their liberty with a view to preventing violence, and case analysis is performed to provide legal support.

411.From 2018 to 2024, training on gender-based violence and gender equality was provided to 28,245 public servants working in the corrections system.

412.Federal social rehabilitation centres have a set of principles on the human rights of women deprived of their liberty.

413.The report on the first national assessment of sexual torture committed against women deprived of liberty was presented in June 2022. The report contains 67 recommendations aimed at strengthening institutional capacity. In 2023, progress towards completion of 82 per cent of those recommendations had been reported.

414.In 2023, the federal executive branch issued its first national strategy to prevent torture, which is coordinated by 18 federal government agencies.

Mechanism for monitoring cases of sexual torture against women

415.In 2020, authorization was given to incorporate the mechanism for monitoring cases of sexual torture against women into the national system for preventing, responding to, punishing and eradicating violence against women. Guidelines for the organization and operation of the mechanism were adopted in 2023.

416.In June 2024, the first annual report on the activities of the mechanism, covering the period 2023–2024, was submitted. Highlights include the development of the national campaign against torture; the work carried out at Federal Social Rehabilitation Centre No. 16 (Federal Women’s Prison of Morelos) to hold a health day for women deprived of their liberty; dissemination of information on the membership, objectives, scope and activities of the mechanism and the challenges it faces; a follow-up report on cases of women survivors of sexual torture; and the procedure for gaining access to the mechanism and the conclusions it has issued based on its activities.

Reparations

417.From 2018 to August 2024, the Executive Commission for Victim Support issued 68 decisions awarding comprehensive reparations to girls and women who have been victims of trafficking, torture and sexual torture, which amounted to a total of US$1,357,000 and 125,739,366.42 pesos awarded to persons directly or indirectly affected. The Commission provided immediate assistance measures valued at 38,666,987.28 pesos to girls and women through 85 decisions.

418.Over the same period, 34,443 women were included on the National Registry of Victims, including 420 women who were victims of torture. Legal representation was provided to 253 women victims of torture and 123 women victims of sexual torture.

Opinion of the Supreme Court

419.In 2022, the Supreme Court ruled that, in the context of detention, custody or any other setting in which civilians are subjected to the action of State agents, forced nudity for the purposes of humiliation, punishment, intimidation or reinforcement of discriminatory gender-based stereotypes meets the criteria to be classified as the crime of torture.

21 (c)

420.The National Criminal Enforcement Act contains a list of the rights of women deprived of their liberty, such as the right to maternity and breastfeeding, the right to deal directly with women prison staff, the right to adequate facilities and the goods necessary for a dignified and safe stay, the right to medical assessment and the right to adequate food.

421.The National Council for the Prevention of Discrimination developed standards for women deprived of liberty and differentiated approaches for prison settings for use by all authorities responsible for prison administration. The Council also promoted the adoption of measures incorporating differentiated and gender-sensitive approaches in prison policies.

Health services

422.The Deconcentrated Administrative Body for Prevention and Social Reintegration manages gynaecological, psychiatric, dermatological, traumatology and orthopaedics consultations, x-rays and ultrasounds, and screenings for diabetes, hypertension and obesity at federal social rehabilitation centres.

423.In December 2022, the Mexican Social Security Institute and the Deconcentrated Administrative Body for Prevention and Social Reintegration signed an agreement to promote the health of inmates at 14 federal prisons.

424.At Federal Social Rehabilitation Centre No. 16 (Federal Women’s Prison of Morelos), paediatric services are provided to children living with women deprived of their liberty through the Health Service of the State of Morelos. In addition, the national health card is used, and efforts are under way to implement a project to acquire a system for documenting breast lesions for diagnosis of breast cancer among women deprived of their liberty.

Access to justice

425.Since 2021, legal information is provided, compulsorily and free of charge, to persons deprived of their liberty so that they can prepare an adequate defence.

426.The National Human Rights Commission conducts the national assessment of correctional supervision at federal social rehabilitation centres and maintains a constant presence in federal prisons, which supports the implementation of mechanisms for receiving complaints. The National Council for the Prevention of Discrimination issued a decision on women deprived of their liberty.

427.Through a partnership with the National Institute for Adult Education, persons deprived of their liberty can gradually advance in their studies.

21 (d)

428.At Federal Social Rehabilitation Centre No. 16 (Federal Women’s Prison of Morelos), 96 mammograms for breast cancer detection were performed in November 2022. Staff members of the Institute of Social Security and Social Services for State Employees take samples for Pap smears, and employees of the National Centre for the Prevention and Control of HIV/AIDS of the Ministry of Health perform screenings for the hepatitis C virus.

429.At Federal Social Rehabilitation Centre No. 16 (Federal Women’s Prison of Morelos), measles vaccination campaigns, mammograms, blood sugar testing, PCR testing, breast ultrasounds and colposcopies are conducted through a partnership with the Health Service of the State of Morelos.

V.Paragraph 22

22 (a)

430.In June 2019, the reform of the Federal Civil Code, under which individuals must be at least 18 years old to marry, entered into effect.

431.In 2021, the National System for the Comprehensive Protection of Children and Adolescents established a working group to address child marriage and forced or voluntary early unions affecting girls.

432.In March 2023, the Federal Criminal Code was amended to establish a separate criminal offence to punish those who force minors to cohabitate with another person on a constant basis in an arrangement that is tantamount to marriage.

433.In December 2023, the General Act on the Rights of Children and Adolescents was amended to stipulate that not only must federal laws and the laws of federative entities establish a minimum age for marriage of 18 years, but also that such laws must provide for comprehensive measures aimed at protecting children and adolescents from the harmful practices of surrendering, whether in return for payment or free of charge, to a formal or an informal or customary union.

434.In February 2024, the Senate endorsed an amendment to article 2 of the Constitution, which would stipulate that the best interest of the child or adolescent must be upheld in the application of the distinctive regulatory principles of Indigenous Peoples. The associated legislative process is under way.

Activities of the Supreme Court

435.In 2019, the Supreme Court found that the elimination of the exceptions to the prohibition on child marriage contained in the Civil Code of the State of Aguascalientes was a constitutionally valid, effective and reasonable measure to protect the best interests of children. Also in 2019, the Court ruled that local legislatures have the authority to eliminate legal exceptions to the required minimum age for marriage.

22 (b)

436.See annex 1-D on the campaigns in this area.

22 (c)

437.In 2021, the Supreme Court acknowledged the importance of taking urgent and priority action to regulate surrogacy and urged the other branches of government and the federative entities to take action to that end.

438.In April 2022, the Senate held a forum on regulating surrogacy, where opportunities for state regulation were discussed.

W.Paragraph 23

439.In February 2020, a working group was established to integrate a gender perspective into the National Civil Protection System. The working group prepared an assessment of the integration of the gender perspective in comprehensive risk management across state civil protection coordination offices.

440.Since 2020, national forums on an inclusive National Civil Protection System have been held, with a view to integrating interculturalism, gender, disability, youth and intersectionality perspectives. Some 154,600 people have participated. In 2021 and 2022, the forum addressed comprehensive disaster risk management with a gender perspective.

441.In 2020, the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity integrated a gender perspective in the country’s sixth national report on biodiversity as well as in 63 measures in the biodiversity strategies of seven federative entities. In January 2023, the Commission held a national summit of women engaged in agrobiodiversity conservation, which was attended by 80 women aged 23 to 70 from Chiapas, Chihuahua, Mexico City, Michoacán, Oaxaca and Yucatán.

442.The gender perspective was integrated into the conservation for sustainable development programme, the drinking water, drainage and sanitation programme, and the sustainable forest development for well-being support programme.

443.The National Water Commission implements programmes aimed at promoting the equal participation of women in emergency response teams.

444.From August 2021 to May 2024, 191 community committees were established in 16 federative entities under the national strategy for resilient communities. Those committees have 797 members, 38 per cent of whom are women.

Support programmes

445.From 2019 to July 2024, 310,304 people, including 184,981 women, benefited from the programme for public well-being in social or natural emergencies.

446.In 2021, over 500 farmers in irrigation teams benefited from the hydro‑agricultural infrastructure support programme. In 2022, restoration and modernization projects were carried out, supporting women in those teams.

X.Paragraph 24

447.The General Climate Change Act takes into account human rights and gender equality perspectives. The Special Programme for Climate Change 2021–2024 contains differentiated support and gender criteria.

448.The National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change, through a project on adaptation strategies aimed at reducing inequality gaps and vulnerability to climate change in municipalities in Oaxaca for the period 2021–2023, has conducted workshops with local authorities and community members to inform the public about climate change and its differentiated impacts.

449.In 2020, the inter-agency group on gender and climate change, comprising government agencies and civil society organizations, was established to mainstream gender in public policies on climate change.

450.In 2022, Mexico submitted its National Action Plan for Gender and Climate Change at the twenty-seventh Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. In July 2024, with support from the German Agency for International Cooperation, a climate dialogue workshop was held with the aim of raising awareness of the updated National Action Plan for Gender, Human Rights and Climate Change and strengthening the Plan with the inputs, views and activities of various stakeholders, including the federal administration, civil society, academia and international cooperation.

Y.Paragraph 25

451.Despite the significant progress highlighted in the present report, Mexico is aware of the challenges to gender equality in the various levels and branches of government. Its aim is to strengthen monitoring of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women through mechanisms already in place and, in doing so, to strengthen relationships with civil society organizations and academia. Another aim is to strengthen gender mainstreaming at the institutional level under the leadership of the future Ministry of Women.

452.The present report has been submitted amid a transition in the federal Government. The incoming administration will continue to prioritize and strengthen progress towards substantive equality under the leadership of the first woman president in the history of Mexico. The time for women is now, and where one woman succeeds, all others will as well!