As of October the accused were in a military prison awaiting trial. In July the Supreme Court ruled that authorities at all levels must investigate enforced disappearances, search for disappeared persons, and inform victims of the process. And indeed, it doesnt respond. Both the boys and their hairdresser trainers pocketed the government money and went about their lives, criminal or otherwise, as before. The Interior Secretariat reaffirmed its commitment to protect refugee applicants even as the country experienced an unprecedented number of applicants. Children constituted 19 percent of irregular migrant flows identified by authorities; 30 percent of them were unaccompanied. Government officials stated that the harassment of Catholic priests and evangelical Protestant pastors reflected high levels of generalized violence throughout the country and not targeted attacks based on religious faith. Yucatan state Exercise Normal Precautions. The Bicentennial Framework is unlikely to restore that. Subcontracting is allowed if it is used to perform specialized services unrelated to the main economic activity of businesses or public institutions. Prosecutors continue to use arraigo detention, a mechanism allowing them to obtain judicial authorization to detain anyone for up to 40 days without charge, for interrogation. There are no restrictions on travel for U.S. government employees in Baja California Sur state, which includes tourist areas in:Cabo San Lucas, San Jose del Cabo,andLa Paz. As of September authorities made no arrests regarding the 2020 killing of prominent indigenous and environmental rights defender Homero Gomez. Access to justice was limited. Most National Guard personnel are seconded from the army and navy and have the option to return to their services after five years. Authorities declared 10 political parties eligible to participate in the midterm elections. Between August 23 and August 27, hundreds of migrants from Haiti, Cuba, and Central America protested in front of the National Migration Institute offices in Tapachula, Chiapas, to demand expedited refugee proceedings that would allow them to move freely throughout the country. Nonetheless, Quevedo Cruz remained in detention as of September 11. According to civil society groups, migrants at some detention centers faced abuse when commingled with gang members and other criminals. On March 11, an anticorruption and antinepotism constitutional reform granted the Federal Judiciary Council the administrative organ of the federal court system more oversight over district and appeals courts and limited hiring authorities of individual judges. Southern states reported the lowest access to skilled health care during pregnancy due to geographic, financial, and cultural barriers. Travel on Highway 5 is permissible during daylight hours. Seeing them with arms and trucks gives people confidence. Well, it didnt to the local people with whom I had a chance to speak. Nayarit state Exercise Increased Caution. In 2020, journalists registered 692 threats, attacks, or other forms of aggressionreportedly the highest year on record. During the COVID-19 pandemic, indigenous persons faced additional hardships in accessing educational services. A 2019 constitutional amendment grants the president the authority to use the armed forces to protect internal and national security through 2024. They lack access to buildings, transportation, and public spaces. See state summaries and advisory levels below for information on your specific travel destination. The law mandates the creation of a public registry of companies supplying specialized services to verify only registered companies fulfilling tax and administrative requirements may supply those services. That means the homicide crime rate was 29 per 100,000 in 2020. Justice in Mexico releases 2021 Organized Crime and Violence in Mexico Report October 22, 2021 10/22/21- (written by rramos)- Justice in Mexico has released the third edition of Organized Crime and Violence in Mexico, coordinated by Laura Y. Caldern, Kimberly Heinle, Rita E. Kuckertz, Octavio Rodrguez Ferreira, and David A. Shirk. The STPS is responsible for carrying out child labor inspections and refers cases of child labor to the Prosecutor Generals Office for sanctions. September had the highest incident rate, with an average of 84 women killed in each month. On October 1, a judge sentenced Fidel Figueroa, mayor of Zacualpan, state of Mexico, to 236 years in prison for murder. As of August 25, former governor of Chihuahua Cesar Duarte was awaiting an extradition decision. Although the law requires entities recruiting for overseas employment to register with the STPS, there is no enforcement mechanism, and only a handful of recruiters complied. Public buildings and facilities often did not comply with the law requiring access for persons with disabilities. U.S. DEPARTMENT of STATE BUREAU of CONSULAR AFFAIRS, U.S. Citizen Services: From Mexico 800-681-9374 or 55-8526-2561. Labor inspections focused on the formal sector, leaving informal workers with no labor law protection. The Mexican government announced that homicidesdeclined by 3.6% from the previous year to 33,308, just below the 33,739 in 2018 when Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador became president. Media monopolies, especially in small markets, at times constrained freedom of expression. Through a nationwide assessment process, the National Search Commission (CNB) revised the governments official number of missing or disappeared persons repeatedly as additional data became available. In July 2020 the CNB launched a public version of the National Registry of Disappeared and Missing Persons. A 2016 ruling by the Supreme Court removed the cap on fines for moral damages, leaving journalists vulnerable to exorbitant fines. On February 6, the federal Law Against Digital Harassment took effect. State and municipal laws addressing domestic violence largely failed to meet the required federal standards and often were unenforced. The board identified 3,286 homes in five states for relocation before completion of the construction project. The reforms provide workers with the right to freely elect union representatives and approve or reject collective bargaining agreements through a secret ballot process before they are registered. As of August 16, authorities had not arrested any suspects. 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. According to the victims mother, police detained and interrogated him without reasonable suspicion or probable cause. Mexico City (Ciudad de Mexico) Exercise Increased Caution. In addition, Puerto Vallarta is very LGBT-friendly with a very laid-back atmosphere. This practice violated federal law and restricted workers rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining. Yesterday Updated 10:45 a.m. The law provides for eight paid public holidays and one week of paid annual leave after completing one year of work. The more recent map is here. 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. On August 3, Ravelo died from his injuries. According to civil society, the protections the mechanism provided after the attempt to his life were lacking. - Around 39% of houses have just one bedroom. Federal law prohibits arbitrary arrest and detention and provides for the right of any person to challenge the lawfulness of his or her arrest or detention in court; however, the government sometimes failed to observe these requirements. Travel for U.S. government employees is limited to the following areas with the noted restrictions: U.S. government employees may not travel to other areas of the state of Michoacan, including the portions of theMonarch Butterfly Reservelocated in Michoacan. 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. 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. For example, the office issued three arrest warrants in the case of the August 2020 killing of Juan Nelcio Espinosa, an independent journalist in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, who died while in police custody. Almost two-thirds (64 percent) reported physical violence at the time of arrest, including electric shocks, choking, and smothering. Abortion access varies by state. The government deployed hundreds of security forces to contain the caravan. Recent Elections: International observers considered the midterm elections (legislative, gubernatorial, and local) to be generally free and fair, with only minor reports of irregularities. Lozoya accused high-level politicians representing multiple parties of complicity in his corrupt acts and was acting as a states witness in trials against them. 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. The INE sanctioned 107 persons for gender-based political violence. Under the Mrida Initiative, the U.S. often provided the crucial and only anti-corruption, anti-collusion oversight in Mexicos security strategiesand tactical operations as well as a stimulus and reinforcement to Mexicos will to take on criminal groups and the lack of rule of law. MEXICO CITY MEXICO CITY (AP) Mexico's president said Tuesday his country is more democratic than the United States . When forces such as the Mexican Army (SEDENA) and Navy (SEMAR) or the National Guard, now numbering perhaps 100,000, are deployed, they are mostly sent to patrol the streets without active operations against local criminal groups. The survey found a majority of adults are disheartened . All states have additional laws against discrimination. Violent crime is widespread. A 2017 law made it illegal to use confessions obtained through torture as evidence at criminal trials. All states prohibit marriage of persons younger than age 18. According to a 2017 INEGI survey, the most recent information available, 12 percent of women were illegally asked to take a pregnancy test as a prerequisite to being hired. Violent crime and gang activity occur with increasing frequency in Veracruz, particularly in the center and south near Cordoba and Coatzacoalcos. NGOs reported authorities had not implemented programs for community integration. 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. In 2014, Congress reformed the Code of Military Justice, requiring abuses by members of the military against civilians to be prosecuted in civilian, not military, courts. The INE requested information from all 32 states, reviewed a sample of 1,177 of the 6,962 federal deputy candidates, and canceled the registration of three candidates for filing false reports. The constitution and law prohibit all forms of forced or compulsory labor, but the government did not effectively enforce the law. On May 18, an exhibit in Mexico City on Israeli innovation was vandalized with anti-Semitic and anti-Israel messages. In 2019, Human Rights Watch documented cases of state-run hospitals and private individuals who shackled people with disabilities. In April the STPS suspended a legitimization vote at the General Motors plant in Silao, Guanajuato, due to serious irregularities during the vote. Women and pregnant people face many barriers when trying to access abortion, even when it is legal. Members of these groups frequently maintain roadblocks and may use violence towards travelers. The law prohibits the worst forms of child labor. Workers, the employer, or an interested third party may request the CAB or court rule on the legality of the strike, which may find the strike is nonexistent and therefore illegal. To receive government recognition, unions and their leaders must file for registration with the Federal Center. The picture is not good. 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. 2023. In May 2020, the president formally deployed the military to assist the National Guard in civilian law enforcement. According to the Center for Economic Research and Teaching, most criminal suspects did not receive representation until after their first custody hearing, thus making individuals vulnerable to coercion to sign false statements prior to appearing before a judge. Physical Conditions: According to the Federal Prison System, as of June there were 220,393 inmates in 288 state and federal facilities with a designed capacity for 217,064. But the boys merely paid off or intimidated the hair salons into certifying the boys participation in the training without actually attending it. Thus, they can act against crime and arrest people only when they see crime happeningin flagrancia. Most homicides appeared to be targeted; however, criminal organization assassinations and territorial disputes can result in bystanders being injured or killed. Defendants have the right to free assistance of an interpreter, if needed, although interpretation and translation services for indigenous languages were not always available. U.S. travelers are reminded that U.S. government employees must adhere to the following travel restrictions: There are no restrictions on travel for U.S. government employees to other parts of Oaxaca state, which include tourist areas in:Oaxaca City,Monte Alban,Puerto Escondido,andHuatulco. In 2020, the government reported nearly 1,000 femicideskillings of women because of their gender. The governments National Council of Norms and Labor Competencies certified law enforcement internal affairs investigators and created standard internal affairs training to promote transparency and accountability. All states have their own human rights commissions. Only 3 in 10 say New Mexico's a safe place to live and higher crime rates may explain statewide worry about safety. In August the federal government signed a public-private partnership agreement with the Teleton Institute for it to provide rehabilitation services to 20,000 pension-receiving children. Following the introduction of the accusatorial justice system, however, there was a significant reduction in the number of persons detained in this manner, falling from more than 1,900 in 2011 to 21 in 2018. A variety of domestic and international human rights groups generally operated without government restriction, investigating and publishing their findings on human rights cases. . In July the Prosecutor Generals Office arrested seven members, including the leader, of the Tamayo human smuggling organization. Toggle navigation lori goldstein husband Of the 32 states, 29 stipulate similar penalties, although sentences were often more lenient. Freedom to Participate in the Political Process, Section 4. Impunity and extremely low rates of prosecution remained a problem for all crimes, including human rights abuses and corruption. Five states have laws that restrict the publishing of political caricatures or memes. These laws were seldom applied. In November, the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances visited Mexicoits first visit to any country. In fact, over 30 million people visited Cancun in 2022 - and the vast majority of them come and go completely unscathed. Yet the dismantling of the Federal Police also led to a profound reduction in the number of investigators and investigative capacity in Mexico by some 70-75%, Mexican lawyers and security officials estimated in conversations with me. As of August there were no developments in the case regarding the abduction and killing of seven-year-old Fatima Aldrighetti Anton. There were credible reports of sexual assaults against migrants, particularly women, while migrating in and through the country. Exercise increased caution when visiting local bars, nightclubs, and casinos. In many states, people with disabilities have no choice but to depend on their families for assistance or to live in institutions, which is inconsistent with their right to live independently and be included in the community under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Drug traffickers involved in illegal logging recruited and kidnapped indigenous persons and children in isolated or displaced communities, withheld their wages, forced them to conduct illicit activities, and often threatened death if they tried to leave. U.S. citizens and LPRs have been victims of kidnapping. Between September 2020 and June, the STPS reported conducting labor inspections in 22,350 work centers nationwide benefiting more than three million workers. In August 2021, the government named a group of seven international forensic and legal experts to lead the Extraordinary Forensic Identification Mechanism, which will be tasked with identifying bodies recovered from mass graves. On January 14, community leaders went to the municipal headquarters of Ayutla de los Libres, Guerrero, to urge revocation of Protestant families local property rights for refusing to participate in the construction and servicing of the local Catholic church. Between January and June, state authorities opened 10,458 new rape investigations. In October and November, I spent several weeks in various parts of Mexico researching the evolution of crime and security policies. Since President Lpez Obrador took office, the National Council on People with Disabilities, the principal government body coordinating efforts to implement disability rights, has been effectively non-operational. Puerto Vallarta Crime Rate. The elections were generally free and fair. As of August, 25 of 32 states had specialized prosecutors offices for investigating torture, or specialized investigative units within the state attorney generals office as called for by law. Freedom of Association and the Right to Collective Bargaining, b. As of October the Special Unit for the Investigation and Litigation of the Ayotzinapa case had arrested more than 80 suspects, including army captain Jose Martinez Crespo, an Iguala municipal police officer, and the Iguala municipal police chief. Criminal organizations are based in and operating in Sinaloa. As of August 16, the suspects remained in detention awaiting trial. 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. Defendants may not be compelled to testify or confess guilt. Thousands of people disappear every year in Mexico. In August 2021, hurricanes Grace and Nora caused flooding, landslides, and power outages in multiple states, killing at least nine people. The president has collaborated with the US in abusive anti-immigration policies, including illegal expulsion of migrants and asylum seekers by plane and bus to Central America. INEGI reported that 2 percent of the population (2.5 million) self-identified as Afro-Mexican. You can find like-minded travelers by staying at one of Guanajuato's top-rated hostels which may add an extra dimension to your trip. High levels of impunity, including for killings or attacks on journalists, resulted in self-censorship and reduced freedom of expression and the press. Municipal police arrested eight women and one man, later releasing all detainees. The 27,751 calls to the hotline in May were the most since the creation of the hotline. NGOs operated 85 percent of the facilities, and government organizations operated the remaining 15 percent. In July 2020 legislators approved a law making all judicial sentences public. In a June International Organization for Migration survey, 20 percent of citizens and 35 percent of third-country migrants reported using a smuggler to arrive to the U.S.-Mexico border. Discrimination in employment or occupation occurred against women, indigenous groups, persons with disabilities, LGBTQI+ individuals, and migrant workers. Impunity for torture was prevalent among the security forces. The government rarely investigated cases of alleged abusive and fraudulent recruitment practices. 11 hijackings per day. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of the MORENA party coalition won the presidential election in generally free and fair multiparty elections in 2018. The National Population Council reported that in 2020 there were 373,661 pregnancies in women younger than age 19 (30 percent above 2019), of which 8,876 were in girls ages 14 or younger. 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