20th Август 2026

From the paradigm of force to that of consent: Towards a comprehensive reform of sexual offences in Mexico

End sexual violence Latin America and the Caribbean

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Summary
What’s inside the report?
Who’s it for?
Key recommendations

This brief examines how Mexico’s 33 criminal codes regulate rape, estupro, sexual abuse, statutes of limitation and reparations, identifying gaps and inconsistencies that affect survivors’ access to justice. Building on Equality Now’s Failure to protect: How discriminatory sexual violence laws and practices are hurting women, girls and adolescents in the Americas report and Mexico: Protection gaps in sexual violence laws and practices factsheet, it assesses legislation against international human rights standards and sets out reforms to place consent at the centre of sexual violence laws, repeal estupro, strengthen protections for girls and adolescents, and ensure access to comprehensive reparations.

What’s inside the report?

An overview of key gaps and inconsistencies in how Mexico’s 33 criminal codes regulate sexual violence.
Analysis of rape, estupro, sexual abuse, statutes of limitation and reparations against international human rights standards.
Recommendations for legal reform to strengthen consent-based protections and improve access to justice for victims and survivors.

Who’s it for?

National and state-level institutional actors:

Federal and state legislators.
Justice system professionals, including judges, prosecutors, public defenders, and legal advisers.
Authorities responsible for developing and implementing criminal justice policies, protocols, and institutional guidance on sexual violence.
Public institutions responsible for protecting the rights of women, girls, and adolescents.

Civil society actors:

Women’s rights and human rights organisations.
Organisations working on sexual violence, access to justice, and the rights of girls and adolescents.
Legal advocates, feminist networks, coalitions, and organisations engaged in legislative and policy advocacy.

Key recommendations

Reform rape and other sexual offences so that the absence of freely given consent, rather than force or resistance, is central to their definition.
Repeal estupro and ensure sexual violence against adolescents is addressed through consent-based laws that recognise coercion, unequal power and age-related vulnerabilities.
Harmonise protections across Mexico, including statutes of limitation and access to comprehensive reparations, to reduce territorial disparities in survivors’ access to justice.

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16.09.2021

54 pages

Failure to protect: How discriminatory sexual violence laws and practices are hurting women, girls and adolescents in the Americas

Equality Now’s analysis reveals that loopholes, protection gaps, and systemic barriers in sexual violence laws and justice systems across multiple jurisdictions effectively deny survivors access to justice.

Mexico: Protection gaps in sexual violence laws and practices

In Mexico, more than 41% of women over age 15 have experienced sexual violence. Yet, gaps in existing laws continue to deny survivors justice, allowing perpetrators to evade accountability. This factsheet draws from Equality Now’s 2021 report Failure to Protect.

Legislating on sexual violence with a consent-based approach in Latin America and the Caribbean

This guide highlights the need to align legal definitions of sexual violence with international standards by centering on the lack of voluntary and free consent.

From the paradigm of force to that of consent: Towards a comprehensive reform of sexual offences in Mexico

What’s inside the report?

Who’s it for?

Key recommendations

About

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Classification

Citation / DOI

More information

Explore more resources

Failure to protect: How discriminatory sexual violence laws and practices are hurting women, girls and adolescents in the Americas

Mexico: Protection gaps in sexual violence laws and practices

Legislating on sexual violence with a consent-based approach in Latin America and the Caribbean

From the paradigm of force to that of consent: Towards a comprehensive reform of sexual offences in Mexico

What’s inside the report?

Who’s it for?

Download your file

Key recommendations

About

Languages

Classification

Citation / DOI

More information

Explore more resources

Failure to protect: How discriminatory sexual violence laws and practices are hurting women, girls and adolescents in the Americas

Mexico: Protection gaps in sexual violence laws and practices

Legislating on sexual violence with a consent-based approach in Latin America and the Caribbean

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