Orphan children face a harsh future in Mexico

An investigation carried out by EL UNIVERSAL shows that the National System for Integral Family Development, DIF , doesn't have a precise census and doesn't know how many children and teenagers are under its care throughout the country and although there are plans to carry out a census, this won't be carried out in every state because there are several obstacles , which are the result of the lack of cooperation between state and federal authorities, that will make it impossible to learn the exact number of children who are under the care of the DIF.

The INEGI estimates that there are around 33,000 children under the care and protection of the DIF. These minors live at shelters and orphanages administered by the DIF, although the exact number of minors is still unknown. Nevertheless, UNICEF Mexico calculates that the number of children could be higher because these numbers don't consider the children who are part of the boarding school program offered to several Indigenous communities .

Furthermore, EL UNIVERSAL talked to expert Elena Laguarda , who says the number of orphan children could be of up to 500,000 children and teenagers; therefore, this would indicate that around 470,000 children lack protection. Moreover, these children can't be adopted because they are not part of the system and a series of requisites and conditions must be fulfilled in order to be adopted .

Although it is calculated that an important number of children who live in the Social Assistance Centers operated by the DIF do have a family, they are forced to live there as a result of domestic violence or because they have been neglected by their parents or family members . Others are placed under the care of the government by their family members, as a result of poverty and their inability to support them.

This is when the situation becomes alarming because when a child grows up in a violent home or in poverty , when their parents are criminals or when the children are orphans , these situations cause an imbalance in their emotional health and at the same time, it generates resentment or anti-social behavior .

An overwhelming number of juvenile offenders come from broken homes, where they were neglected and unsupervised. Therefore, if the institution in charge of caring for children doesn't know how many children are under its care, we are seriously affecting children and their opportunities for a better future.

gm