Boys, girls and teenagers, the heroes of the pandemic

Underage children are an example of adaptation and resilience before changes, says our President Council, Salvador Guerrero Chiprés

Girls, boys and teenagers have become true heroes, capable of asking for help to guarantee their mental well-being, especially when circumstances overcome them or their environment is not favorable for them to come through by themselves.

Within the framework of the 174^th anniversary of the battle of Chapultepec and the heroic deeds of six students of the Military College, the Citizen Council for Safety and Justice in Mexico City acknowledged that underage children have shown resilience, patience and adaptation to changes.

Throughout the year, the organism has received 10 thousand 474 requests for psychological aid from boys, girls and teenagers, in comparison with the 2 thousand 788 requests received during the same period in 2020.

“During this pandemic, girls, boys and teenagers have had heroic attitudes, they’ve caught up in their studies, they’ve overcome predicaments or violence at home, social isolation and grief, and they’ve learned that asking for help is beneficial and brave,” said Salvador Guerrero Chiprés, President of the Citizen Council.

Of the total number of interactions received this year, 94% came from the victims and 6% asked us to help friends, family members or neighbors.

Eight our of then requests for support were in favor of girls and 52% of them are 12 to 15 years of age. Problems within the family /16%) and pandemic fatigue (12%) are the main reasons why children ask for psychological aid, followed by relationship problems, anxiety and depression.

“One of the advantages they have is that they live in the moment. Even if circumstances hurt and frighten them, they seek to solve these feelings in the present, they use their imagination and creativity to focus on their well-being,” Guerrero Chiprés commented.

Around 37% of the cases come from Mexico City and 14% from the State of Mexico. The other states that received more reports were Jalisco, Veracruz, Puebla, Nuevo León and Guanajuato. Apart from Mexico, the Citizen Council has received reports from Colombia, Argentina, United States, Chile and Guatemala, and even Spain and New Zealand.

The Citizen Council offers free legal and emotional support through the Safety Line and Trustworthy Chat 55 5533 5533 24/7 all across the country.

Cheers to boys and girls, heroes of the pandemic!

They’ve been a great example of:

Resilience

Adaptability

Patience

From January 2020 to August of this year, 16 thousand 928 boys, girls and teenagers asked for legal and psychological help

They communicated with us through:

15% Safety line

84% Trustworthy chat

1% at our seats

Apart from Mexico, we’ve helped young people from 21 other countries. The top 5:

Colombia

United States

Chile

Argentina

Guatemala

The called to ask for psychological aid regarding:

Family problems 16%

Pandemic fatigue 12%

Relationship problems 8%

Anxiety 8%

Depression 7%

Self-esteem 5%

Grief 4%

Bullying 2%

6% ask us to help a friend, family member, sibling or acquaintance

51% of those who call are 12 to 15 years old

Safety Line and Trustworthy Chat 55 5533 5533