Nearly 26 mln Mexican children living in poverty: UNICEF

Nearly 21 million children in Mexico are living in poverty and another 4.7 million in extreme poverty, the deputy representative of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Mexico warned Tuesday.

Alison Sutton said these 26 million children do not enjoy the most basic rights, such as health care and education.

She acknowledged the existing challenges to protect children, especially from violence, at a press conference launching the third edition of "Color your rights," a contest designed to raise children's awareness of their rights.

"There are enormous challenges ... in terms of violence against children and adolescents in their own homes, in their communities and schools, and also in the context of the nation's security," she said.

Sutton praised the National System for Comprehensive Protection put in place by the Mexican government in 2015 to protect children in vulnerable circumstances with specialized agencies in each of the 31 states and the capital district.

Thanks to the program, "people are going to know where to go when they detect or suspect a case of child labor or find out that their neighbors are mistreating a girl or a boy at home," she said. Endi