| OSAC is a partnership . According to civil society, the protections the mechanism provided after the attempt to his life were lacking. As of August 16, authorities had not arrested any suspects. It was created in 2019 to bring together national and international forensic experts to help identify 37,000 unidentified remains held in government facilities, coordinate implementation of the general law on forced disappearances, and allocate resources to state search commissions. Municipal candidates and challengers seeking to oust incumbents were the most common victims of political violence, with victims spread across the political spectrum. 5 Memoria is a project that belongs to the Justice in Mexico program at the University of San Diego. Enrollment of children with disabilities decreased by 40 percent during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Yo Tambien. In October and November, I spent several . Last Update: Reissued with updates to health information. San Luis Potos, SLP.- San Luis Potos is the second most dangerous city in the country, according to the National Victimization Survey on Public Safety (Envipe) 2021, carried out by INEGI. This decision prevented a protection union from attempting to stop the strike by filing a challenge to the Mineros Unions control of the existing collective bargaining agreement at the San Martin mine in Sombrerete, Zacatecas. Figueroa collaborated with criminal organizations to kidnap the prosecutor general of Ixtapan de la Sal, state of Mexico, and others in 2019, resulting in the death of one of the prosecutor generals bodyguards. Abuses occurred in institutions and care facilities housing persons with mental disabilities, including those for children. In July a joint investigation by media outlets reported a leaked Pegasus list of more than 15,000 individuals as possible targets for surveillance in 2016 and 2017. Despite a government program to transmit public education classes via internet, television, and radio during the pandemic, reports suggested that at least 2.5 million children did not continue their basic education. Only 7.5 percent of the members of the executive boards of publicly traded domestic companies were female, and men held 64 percent of managerial positions throughout the country. OSAC 2021-N-0015, Guiding Principles for Scene Investigation and Reconstruction (added September 7, 2021 and sent to ASB for further development and publication). The law prohibits the worst forms of child labor. Independent Monitoring: The government permitted independent monitoring of prison conditions by the International Committee of the Red Cross, CNDH, and state human rights commissions. In April the government passed a penal code reform eliminating the statute of limitations for sexual crimes against minors, including child pornography distribution, child sex tourism, corruption of minors, pederasty, sexual abuse, and rape. That means the homicide crime rate was 29 per 100,000 in 2020. The law criminalizes sharing, distributing, and publishing intimate sexual content (including photographs, audio, and videos) featuring individuals who have not explicitly given their consent, with penalties of up to six years in prison. Organized criminal elements, including local and transnational gangs, and narcotics traffickers, were significant perpetrators of violent crimes and committed acts of homicide, torture, kidnapping, extortion, human trafficking, bribery, intimidation, and other threats, resulting in high levels of violence and exploitation, particularly targeting vulnerable groups. OSAC 2021-N-0016, Standard for Initial Response at Scenes by Law Enforcement (added September 7, 2021 and sent to ASB for further development and publication). Occupational Safety and Health: The law requires employers to observe occupational safety and health regulations, issued jointly by the STPS and Institute for Social Security. osac mexico 2020 crime and safety report. Years, due osac mexico 2019 crime and safety report Crime > report /a > Crime in Puebla /a > available Canada. For information regarding the security environment in other areas of Mexico, please reference the OSAC Crime and Safety Reports from the following Consular Districts: Tijuana, Nogales, Hermosillo, Ciudad Juarez, Nuevo Laredo, Matamoros, Monterrey, Guadalajara, and Merida. Crime Rating: Critical Crime Threats Crime varies widely. Day laborers and their children were the primary victims of forced and child labor in the agricultural sector, particularly in the production of chili peppers and tomatoes. The states of Guanajuato, Jalisco, Mexico, Michoacan, Nuevo Leon, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas, plus Mexico City, accounted for 76 percent of reported disappearances from 2018 to June 30. The rate of aggression against political figures during the election cycle was on par with the 2018 election, one of the most violent political periods in recent history. All states have additional laws against discrimination. Their abduction followed the killings of two Yaqui activists and leaders: Thomas Rojo in May and Luis Urbano in June. As a result other unions, including a new union formed by workers after the vote, gained the right to seek representation rights and negotiate a new agreement. Disappearances remained a persistent problem throughout the country, especially in areas with high levels of cartel or gang-related violence. The Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) was created in 1985 under the Federal Advisory Committee Act to promote security cooperation between American private-sector interests worldwide and the U.S. Department of State. Defendants have the right to attend the hearings and to challenge the evidence or testimony presented. Organized criminal groups dominated migrant smuggling operations and often kidnapped, threatened, and extorted migrants to pay a fee for facilitating northbound travel. Federal law specifically proscribes discrimination based on ethnicity, nationality, gender, age, disability, social status, health, religion, immigration status, political opinion, sexual preference, marital status, or pregnancy. VFelbabBrown. The government, in conjunction with international organizations, made efforts to promote the safe, voluntary return, resettlement, or local integration of IDPs. The most common reason to remove content was defamation, followed by privacy and security. In 2019 the federal government introduced pensions for persons with disabilities in a state of poverty. The reforms also establish an expedited and more transparent judicial process for unions to obtain collective bargaining rights. In response to a 2020 civil society organization lawsuit, a Mexico City court ruled authorities must implement COVID-19 detection and preventive health protocols for detainees and their families in prisons in Mexico City and psychiatric wards nationwide. The law allows for the reinstatement of workers if the CAB finds the employer fired the worker without just cause and the worker requests reinstatement; however, the law also exempts broad categories of employees from this protection, including so-called employees of confidence and workers in the job for less than one year. The government increased the CNB budget 8 percent over the 2020 budget. UNICEF reported that 6.9 million students in Venezuela missed almost all classroom instruction between March 2020 and February 2021. The Monterrey Country Council is active, meeting quarterly. Here then is a recap of key crime and anti-crime events and developments in Mexico in 2020, and of the bleak prospects for 2021. According to civil society organizations, up to 3,250 persons, mostly women and children from indigenous communities, were forcibly displaced in July in Chenalho and Pantelho, Chiapas, due to territorial disputes between armed groups. Observers from grassroots labor rights groups, international NGOs, and multinational apparel brands reported that employers in export-oriented supply chains increasingly used hiring methods that lessened job security. In July 2020 legislators approved a law making all judicial sentences public. Reproductive Rights: There were no confirmed reports of coerced abortion or involuntary sterilization on the part of government authorities. From 2013 through . The law provides criminal penalties for corruption by officials, and the government took steps to increase its legal authority to pursue these crimes. From 2014 through 2019, the CNDH received nearly 3,000 . The United States Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) has issued a travel advisory for Americans planning travel to Mexico for spring break.. Across the criminal justice system, many actors lacked the necessary training and capacity to carry out their duties fairly and consistently in line with the principle of equal justice. Ramos had been searching for her missing husband for the previous seven months as a member of two search collectives. The Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) was created in 1985 under the Federal Advisory Committee Act to promote security cooperation between American private-sector interests worldwide and the U.S. Department of State. INEGI found that 53 percent of women of reproductive age used modern contraception in 2018 (the most recent study). Unprecedented numbers of migrants arriving at the countrys southern border and requesting refugee status stretched the refugee agencys capacity to process requests. Security forces responded by killing four suspects and arresting 25. The constitution and law prohibit all forms of forced or compulsory labor, but the government did not effectively enforce the law. In July 2020 he was arrested in another country pursuant to a Mexican extradition request on charges that he diverted millions of dollars in public funds. Military Abuses and Extrajudicial Killings. On May 18, an exhibit in Mexico City on Israeli innovation was vandalized with anti-Semitic and anti-Israel messages. Citizens hoping to obtain temporary, legal employment in the United States and other countries frequently paid recruiters hundreds or thousands of dollars in prohibitive fees to secure jobs, and many prospective workers were promised jobs that did not exist. OSAC has developed into an enormously successful joint venture, with U.S. companies and organizations receiving the tools they need to cope with security issues in a . As of August 25, former governor of Chihuahua Cesar Duarte was awaiting an extradition decision. Femicide is a federal offense punishable by 40 to 70 years in prison. Indigenous persons generally had limited access to health care and education services. A variety of domestic and international human rights groups generally operated without government restriction, investigating and publishing their findings on human rights cases. In May 2020 the CNDH reported that children were subjected to abuses such as torture, sexual violence, and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment at Ciudad de los Ninos, a private institution in Salamanca, Guanajuato. The Catholic Multimedia Center reported that criminal groups harassed priests and other religious leaders in some parts of the country and subjected them to extortion, death threats, and intimidation. Reconsider travel to El Salvador due to crime.. Country Summary: Violent crime, including armed robbery, homicide and sexual assault are of concern throughout significant portions of the country.Although gang activity varies among departamentos (states) and municipios (municipalities), areas witnessing higher crime rates are often . The COVID-19 pandemic generated additional risks and exacerbated vulnerabilities for IDPs, including overcrowding in shelters and difficulty accessing food, basic health care, and education. The NGO Mexican Commission for the Defense and Promotion of Human Rights identified 15 incidents between January and July of mass forced internal displacement (defined as the displacement of at least 10 families or 50 individuals) due to violence. Women were more likely to experience discrimination in wages, working hours, and benefits. On August 28, approximately 500 migrants, the majority from Haiti, started a caravan from Tapachula to Mexico City to obtain expedited asylum processing. The procedure known in Spanish as arraigo (a constitutionally permitted form of pretrial detention employed during the investigative phase of a criminal case before probable cause is fully established) allows, with a judges approval, for certain suspects to be detained prior to filing formal charges. In Baja California Sur, Guanajuato, Michoacan, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, and Yucatan, the crimes of defamation and libel are prosecuted, with penalties ranging from three days to five years in prison and fines for committing defamation or slander, both considered crimes against honor. Slander is punishable under the criminal laws of the states of Campeche, Nuevo Leon, Sonora, Yucatan, and Zacatecas, with sentences ranging from three months to six years in prison and fines. The pension was 2,550 pesos ($125) every two months. This Standards Bulletin from the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science provides a monthly update on: Standards moving through the OSAC Registry approval processes for published and OSAC Proposed Standards. All states prohibit marriage of persons younger than age 18. To receive government recognition, unions and their leaders must file for registration with the Federal Center. Civil society groups reported families living in inhuman conditions, with inadequate and cramped housing, no access to clean water or bathrooms, insufficient food, and without medical care. Federal labor law requires a minimum of 20 workers to form a union. In cases involving organized crime, the law allows authorities to hold suspects up to 96 hours before requiring them to seek judicial review. In 2019 the Prosecutor Generals Office opened a corruption investigation against Lozoya for receiving up to $10 million in bribes from the Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht. At the federal level, the Secretariat of Social Development, Prosecutor Generals Office, and National System for Integral Family Development share responsibility for inspections to enforce child labor laws and to intervene in cases in which employers violate such laws. This limited medias ability to investigate and report, since many of the reporters who were killed covered crime, corruption, and local politics. Conflicts arose from the interpretation of indigenous communities self-governing normative systems. Uses and customs laws apply traditional practices to resolve disputes, choose local officials, and collect taxes, with limited federal or state government involvement. A forensic doctor at the Yucatan Prosecutor Generals Office confirmed that he had suffered sexual abuse. On August 31, the government suspended the two agents for inappropriate conduct. Labor inspections focused on the formal sector, leaving informal workers with no labor law protection. Workers argued that the protectionist union holding the collective bargaining agreement pressured workers to legitimize the agreement, offered bribes, and tampered with ballots. Security experts said government candidate protection programs, which did not cover all those eligible, had a negligible impact on curbing political violence. In May 2020 a constitutional amendment established the disability pension as a constitutional right, prioritizing children, indigenous, and Afro-Mexican persons with disabilities younger than age 64 who lived in poverty. Political Parties and Political Participation: For the electoral process, the National Electoral Institute (INE) established the Three Out of Three Against Violence initiative, which required candidates to declare any history of domestic violence, sexual offenses, or failure to pay alimony. The Secretariat of National Defense and Secretariat of the Navy also play a role in domestic security, particularly in combating organized criminal groups. In August the Mexico City congress approved a reform allowing LGBTQI+ children ages 12 years and older to legally change their gender on their birth certificate. The government deployed hundreds of security forces to contain the caravan. He was a member of a search collective and the state search commission. As of August 18, authorities had not confirmed whether the threatening video was genuine. In June the Federal Telecommunications Institute, an autonomous agency created to increase the transparency of media regulation, released internet neutrality guidelines for internet service providers. As of September authorities made no arrests regarding the 2020 killing of prominent indigenous and environmental rights defender Homero Gomez. Participation of Women and Members of Minority Groups: No laws limit the participation of women or members of minority groups in the political process, and they did participate. In addition, Consular Messages, Travel Warnings, and Travel Alerts are also available. Institutionalized persons with disabilities often lacked adequate medical care and rehabilitation services, privacy, and clothing; they often ate, slept, and bathed in unhygienic conditions. The education system provided education for students with disabilities nationwide. Nationwide the CNB reported the exhumation of the remains of at least 3,025 persons in 1,749 clandestine graves between December 1, 2018, and June 30. In June media outlets reported that a fight between two rival groups of inmates left six inmates dead and nine wounded at a prison in Villahermosa, Tabasco. In July an arrangement was reached on a course of remediation, which included a new collective bargaining agreement legitimization vote under the supervision of the STPS, with observers from the National Electoral Institute and the International Labor Organization. 21 Feb. osac mexico 2020 crime and safety report. Federal law prohibits discrimination against LGBTQI+ individuals. Impunity largely prevailed on this issue, with just 35 convictions for the crime of . Underage children in urban areas earned money by begging, washing windshields, selling small items, or performing in public places. Following the August 2020 killing of Pablo Morrugares, El Diario de Iguala newspaper published a note blaming organized crime and Governor Hector Astudillo Flores administration for violence against journalists and impunity. The Quintana Roo prosecutor general confirmed police officers used disproportionate force during the arrest. Legally mandated joint management and labor committees set standards and are responsible for overseeing workplace standards in plants and offices. Womens rights activists supported the law as critical to combat the increasingly prevalent problem of online sexual harassment. Country Summary: Violent crime - such as homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery - is widespread and common in Mexico. Nongovernmental Impact: Organized criminal groups exercised a grave influence over media outlets and reporters, threatening individuals who published critical views of crime groups. Coordinator for the Arctic Region, Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security, Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance, Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation, Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, Office of International Religious Freedom, Office of the Special Envoy To Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, Office of the Science and Technology Adviser, Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services, Bureau of Information Resource Management, Office of Management Strategy and Solutions, Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, U.S. Recent Elections: International observers considered the midterm elections (legislative, gubernatorial, and local) to be generally free and fair, with only minor reports of irregularities. Sources indicate that organized criminal organizations have been . In July 2020 authorities extradited Lozoya, former director of PEMEX, the state-owned petroleum company, from Spain. This represented an increase of 11 percent of children from the 2017 INEGI survey. The elections were generally free and fair. The increase in domestic violence cases that began during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic continued. Most National Guard personnel are seconded from the army and navy and have the option to return to their services after five years. There were 600 federal labor inspectors to cover the entire country; 60 percent of state level labor authorities had fewer than 10 inspectors. Federal and state labor inspectorates conducted nearly 30,000 labor inspections in formally registered businesses in 2020 but did not conduct inspections in the informal sector. Criminal cases related to such violations were rarely carried out. The NGO also reported the existence of multiple unregistered private institutions without licenses operating as orphanages. The government has an established procedure for determining refugee status and providing protections. Federal law provides citizens the ability to choose their government through free and fair periodic elections held by secret ballot and based on universal and equal suffrage. The STPS certification of the new election set November 3 as the date for termination of the existing agreement, thus establishing that representation rights would be determined under the new labor reform rules and institutions. In addition to criminal libel and defamation laws, civil law defines moral damage as similar to defamation concerning harm to a persons feelings, affections, beliefs, dignity, honor, reputation, and privacy, according to the NGO Committee to Protect Journalists. The CNDH may call on government authorities to impose administrative sanctions or pursue criminal charges against officials, but it is not authorized to impose penalties or legal sanctions. Impunity and extremely low rates of prosecution remained a problem for all crimes, including human rights abuses and corruption.