Mexico launches a social rescue plan in the most violent neighborhoods

It is second phase of President Enrique Peña Nieto’s anti-crime plan and it is at its most critical point – putting it to work.

It is called the National Social Program for the Prevention of Violence, and the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) government says its aim is to reduce delinquency in the medium term. It doesn’t involve bullets, police forces or large security operations, but instead programs to try to change the social conditions in high-risk sectors and neighborhoods throughout the country.

“Changing the social conditions is our battle,” said Roberto Campa, deputy secretary of Prevention, during a presentation on Thursday.

The initiative involves a 2.5-billion-peso (some $200 million) earmark for 57 areas where violence is extremely high and where poor social conditions are seen as explosive factors that contribute to the crime problem.

In all, 1,067 neighborhoods in 80 municipalities are included in the program. Among these are cities and districts plagued by bloody battles between organized crime groups. Social services will focus on Acapulco (which has been identified as the “second most violent city in the world” by the Peña Nieto government), Ciudad Juárez (where the crime rates have dropped considerably but it remains a hot spot), and the Lagunera Region (a critical area that comprises the northern border states of Coahuila and Lagunera).

The strategy will also apply particular focus to two areas of the country: the Mexico City sector of Iztapalapa, where two million people live, and Ecatepec, a municipality in neighboring Mexico State that borders on the federal district.

Changing the social conditions is our battle” Roberto Campa

The program focuses on helping youths and women, with priority given to those between the ages of 14 and 29. Campa, a former presidential candidate in 2006 for the New Alliance Party, an ally of the PRI, is the architect behind the youth programs.

Officials will try to pinpoint problems facing youths and children before it is too late. For example, one of the flanks of the educational initiative will be to ensure that children have good eyesight. According to Campa, some 500,000 children across Mexico need glasses but have never had their vision checked.

“The fight against social and economic injustice stemming from violence implies actions need to be taken that may be as spectacular and as simple as giving children glasses so that they can read,” he said.

There have been concerns that the money passed out among the 57 areas will be diverted by local politicians or used for other purposes than the program, but Campa assures that the central government is going to conduct rigorous audits to make sure the funds are spent correctly.

“We are going to conduct solid, robust and clear audits and will follow up where and how those funds are being spent,” he said.