Marking 29 years of work defending and promoting the rights of working children and adolescents in Chiapas, members, founders, advisors, and young leaders of Melel Xojobal shared their memories, assessments, and challenges in addressing migration, inequality, and violence in the highlands of the state.
Julio César Gómez, a young Tzotzil man and son of displaced artisans from San Juan Chamula, recalled how the organization became a pillar of support during his childhood. “Melel brought a pillar of freedom and justice,” he said, his voice breaking.
With a voice of satisfaction, he added, “May the love it brings to every young person and every child in need be eternal.”
Originally from San Cristóbal, he grew up accompanying his parents to sell crafts in the Plazuela de la Caridad, and recounted with laughter that his first trip to El Chorreadero with the group “was like going to Dubai.”
Patricia Figueroa Fuentes, founder and director for 13 years, now secretary of the board, recalled the origins in the 1990s, when displaced children began arriving in the city due to the armed conflict in Chiapas.
“The first study we conducted was a success. We included the population not only as translators, but also as workers,” she noted, adding that the current challenge is “not to stigmatize those who have been in contact with these (criminal) groups and to seek real alternatives for their protection.”
Ramón Martínez Coria, an anthropologist and member of the Board of Directors for 12 years, described San Cristóbal as a city that “has gone from one catharsis to another” and emphasized that “working children and adolescents have developed self-protection and learning strategies to safeguard their safety and that of their families.”
He added that “the cornerstone of Melel’s paradigm is the open and vocal defense of the rights of working children,” posing an ethical question to all of society in order to dignify the contribution that children make to the family economy.
Original article by Mitzi Flores, Chiapas Paralelo, February 16th, 2026.
Translated by Schools for Chiapas.