The Office of the Ombudsman for Children's Rights (ODI) alerted about the lack of figures and official investigations that allow quantifying the extent of sexual abuse against children in Mexico. This creates an obstacle to effectively addressing the issue and preventing future cases. According to Gabriela from ODI, the Ministry of Public Education refuses to share files of teachers and school workers, making it difficult to understand the real magnitude of the situation.
Mexico ranks as the country with the highest production of child sexual exploitation material worldwide, reflecting the severity of the context in which these crimes occur. The lack of transparency in internal investigations of the SEP and other agencies contributes to hiding these abuses from the public. The families of the victims face obstacles and institutional revictimization, with the SEP being a significant barrier to reporting the crimes.
The podcast "It’s a Secret" arises as a response to the ODI report, aimed at alerting parents and society in general. Through this medium, the goal is to disseminate information provided by experts to raise awareness about the protection of children. The producers of the podcast seek to bring this issue even to the presidency, evidencing the need to act against the complicity and institutional silence surrounding these serious crimes.
The findings reveal the presence of a network of systematic abuses in schools, involving multiple actors, from principals to maintenance staff. This level of institutional complicity raises serious questions about the safety of children in educational institutions and the inaction of authorities against this scourge. In some cases, up to twenty-four victims have been documented per school, in situations of extreme collective abuse featuring disturbing elements such as cameras, costumes, syringes, and drugs.
