Mexico’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) and the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP) are leading a national effort to strengthen gender-safe workplace policies, positioning equity and institutional accountability as central elements of the country’s evolving labor landscape.
The agencies are advancing an ESG-aligned framework that emphasizes safety, inclusion, and shared responsibility. A key component of the approach is increasing participation among male employees, which officials said is critical to driving lasting cultural change.
Workplace violence highlighted as a systemic issue
Government data and expert assessments show a deep-rooted risk for women in the workplace. In an article in Mexico Business, Enna Paloma Ayala, director general of Policies for Access to a Life Free of Violence at the Ministry for Women, emphasized the importance of the General Law on Women’s Access to a Life Free of Violence.
She described it as an “innovative framework” that clearly identifies the types and contexts of violence, including those occurring on the job. Ayala said many forms of abuse stem from hierarchical power structures and male-dominated organizational cultures.
Findings from the National Survey on the Dynamics of Household Relationships (ENDIREH) illustrate the magnitude of the issue. Workplace violence against women rose to 27.9% in 2021. In 34% of reported cases, the perpetrators were co-workers, followed by supervisors or managers at 21%.
Eighty percent of incidents occurred inside workplace facilities. The survey further revealed that 14.4% of women experienced sexual violence, with more than half of the cases taking place at work.
Analysts said the data shows how deeply entrenched the issue has become and warned that it poses serious human rights concerns, as well as risks to productivity, staff retention, and organizational stability.
Environmental agencies roll out enforceable safeguards
SEMARNAT and CONANP have introduced new measures to strengthen protections across their institutions. These include the Protocol for the Prevention, Attention, and Sanction of Sexual Harassment and an internal “care policy” aimed at promoting respectful daily interactions and reinforcing institutional accountability.
CONANP Commissioner Pedro Álvarez emphasized the importance of the initiative. “Today is not just a commemoration; it is a call to rethink the way we work, coexist, and relate,” he said. Álvarez added that protecting life requires placing care at the center of workplace practices.
The reforms align with Mexico’s 2022 ratification of ILO Convention No. 190, which guarantees all workers the right to a safe and violence-free workplace. The agencies are also requiring participation from male staff in training programs, underscoring their view that systemic challenges demand shared responsibility across all genders and leadership levels.
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Briones, J. A. (2025, December 3). Mexico ties green jobs to fight against gender violence. Outsource Accelerator. Retrieved from https://news.outsourceaccelerator.com/fight-against-gender-violence/
Hernandez, N. (2024, August 15). 23% of Mexicans have been victims of workplace harassment: Rankmi. Milenio. Retrieved from https://www.milenio.com/negocios/mexico-enfrenta-una-problematica-de-acoso-laboral-rankmi
FTI Consulting. (2024, November 13). Challenges in Investigating Sexual Harassment in the Workplace in Mexico. Retrieved from https://www.fticonsulting.com/insights/articles/challenges-investigating-sexual-harassment-workplace-mexico
