By Brittney Hodnik
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

MEXICO CITY, Mexico – School-age children in Mexico are facing a terrible situation.  Due to the constant violence and threats from gangs and drug traffickers, thousands of schools are closed throughout Mexico; and the schools that are open do not provide a helpful, safe learning environment.

Mexico is riddled with drug violence, and the situation only seems to be getting worse.  Drug cartels have now resorted to threatening teachers and children, causing thousands of teachers to refuse to report to work.  CNN reports that approximately 140 schools have been closed since the beginning of the school year due to safety issues, and teacher refusal to work.

According to The Associated Foreign Press (“AFP”), teachers in Acapulco have been on strike for a month, trying to persuade authorities to improve security before they return to work.  The threats were left outside of the building, and in some situations, armed men entered and delivered the threats themselves, according to CNN.

Threats are often left by simple messages, but recently, gruesome displays have prevailed.  According to BBC News, Mexican police found five decomposing heads in a sack outside of a primary school along with threatening messages.  In Veracruz, 49 bodies were dumped on the roads within a three-day span, causing parents to be even more fearful of sending their children to class, reported AFP.

Parents are hesitant to let their children go to school for fear of violent clashes both in school and on their way to school.  Elizabeth Garcia, a mother of two told the Associated Foreign Press that she felt better keeping her kids at home.  “I don’t know if it’s better that they don’t go to school, but at least I know where they are,” she told AFP.

Although the threats were anonymous, Mexican authorities believe that they are linked to organized crime.  Gustavo Duncan, the representative for Santiago Mayor’s Office said that the threats were “against society in general” and “there was nothing specific,” reported CNN.

Questions about the legitimacy, safety, and overall learning environment of schools that are currently open have emerged.  According to the Washington Post, on September 23, teachers made sixth-grade students strip down after $13 went missing in a classroom.  Mexico’s Human Rights Commission is investigating the incident, and the school has refused comment.

Mexico’s violence is escalating, and Mexican authorities do not seem to have any of the drug cartels or other gangs under control.  The children are suffering from lack of education, potentially creating a dangerous cycle of violence and disobedience in Mexico.

For more information, please visit:

Associated Foreign Press — Fears of Violence Shake Mexico Schools — 2 Oct. 2011

The Washington Post — Mexican Rights Commission: Parents Say Sixth-Graders Forced to Strip Down After $13 Disappears — 2 Oct. 2011

CNN — More Schools Threatened in Mexico — 30 Sept. 2011

BBC News — 5 Severed Heads Left Outside Mexican School — 28 Sept. 2011