Overview
- Reinserta presented the prevention book “¿Cómo no ser un sicario?” for sixth graders, parents and teachers at the Papalote Museo del Niño in Mexico City.
- Findings from interviews with 23 youths in Guerrero and Estado de México show 19 had links to organized crime, with entry ages typically between 11 and 16.
- The study identifies friends and acquaintances as the main recruiters, and reports first offenses often involve homicide, extortion, kidnapping and drug crimes.
- Specialists at the event said Mexico lacks a specific offense for recruiting minors, a gap they argue leaves roughly 250,000 children and youths at risk.
- Researchers highlight drivers such as poverty, fractured families, normalized early violence, drug use and school dropout, while noting national prevalence remains uncertain with older estimates ranging from 35,000 in 2011 to 460,000 in 2018.