In 2018, the National Survey of Demographic Dynamics (ENADID) of the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) showed that, in Mexico, 7.9 million people were living with a permanent disability, of which 4.3 million were women and 3.6 million were men, representing 6.7% and 5.9% of the total population of each gender respectively.
The Mexican government has been working to study and assist the population with any kind of disability. To this regard, it has made the following diagnosis about the position of this population group in the Mexican society: “Currently, the dominant social, cultural, and economic paradigms generate a significant rejection of people with disabilities, generating barriers in all spheres of people's daily lives. This hinders the full exercise of their rights and their participation in society, which translates into the fact that, people with permanent disabilities from zero to sixty-seven years of age, face economic, physical and social barriers that limit the full enjoyment of the exercise of their social rights.”[1] This situation has made people with disabilities a priority target group for social policy, and therefore, a specific care model was designed for it.
In 2011, Mexico adopted the General Law for the Inclusion of People with Disabilities (last reformed on July 12, 2018), mandating the creation of public policies to enable the protection of people with disabilities. Since then, three main causes for their situation of vulnerability have been identified: insufficient income, problems with access to health services and education, and limited job opportunities. In 2018, 84.6% of the population with disabilities was living in a vulnerable situation: 9.8% lived in extreme poverty, 38.8% lived in moderate poverty, and 6.5% did not present social deprivation, but were vulnerable due to income, while 29.4% were not vulnerable due to income, but presented one or more social deprivations. In 2018, only 15.4% of the population with disabilities was not living in a situation of poverty or vulnerability. Furthermore, it is necessary to highlight that the number of people with disabilities living in poverty in Mexico had increased consistently: from 3.5 million people in 2012 to 4.5 million people in 2018.
The Pension for the Well-being of People with Permanent Disabilities, or Pensión para el Bienestar de las Personas con Discapacidad Permante, was created in 2019. On May 8, 2020, the 4th Article of the Political Constitution of Mexico is amended and modified, with a legal determination that financial support for persons with permanent disabilities is a Constitutional right, and there is an obligation to provide a public budget for this programme each year.
In the period between January and March of 2021, 923,167 people received their pensions, out of which 43% were women (398,262) and 57% were men (524,905). Furthermore, 15% of that population resided in a municipality or town considered to be indigenous or afro-Mexican, and the other 85% lived outside of these communities. In 2021, this pension consists of a direct financial support of MXN$ 1,350 (US$ 68) monthly, which are delivered bimonthly. With this programme, the Government of Mexico seeks to improve the income of persons with disabilities and contribute to the positive reinforcement of the rights of children, adolescents, youth, indigenous, Afro-Mexicans and adults with disabilities, as well as to eliminate marginalization, discrimination, and racism towards Mexicans with disabilities.
When the pandemic caused by COVID-19 irrupted in Mexico in March of 2020, the government sought a rapid response, so that people receiving the pension would not face economic hardships. In order to avoid the latter, the Mexican government decided to bring innovations to the payment scheme. This was in the form of an advance payment equal to four months (or two bimonthly payments) of the Pension for the Well Being of People with Permanent Disabilities. The first advance was paid in March, covering payments from March to June, and the second in July, covering payments from July to October. As of July 23rd, 2020, 635,000 people had received the second advanced payment. This represents a coverage of over 70% of the people living with a permanent disability.
Further reading:
- ECLAC, “Pension for the Well-being of People with Permanent Disabilities”. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Social Pensions Programmes Database website. Accessed from https://dds.cepal.org/bpsnc/programme?id=174 in April 2021.
- ECLAC, “Pension Programme for the Well Being of Persons with Permanent Disabilities (advance payment equivalent to four months)”, Social protection measures to confront COVID-19 Database. Accessed from https://dds.cepal.org/observatorio/socialcovid19/en/fichamedida.php?id=254 in February 2021.
- Ullmann, H., B. Atuesta, M. Rubio and S. Cecchini (2021), “Non-contributory cash transfers: an instrument to promote the rights and well-being of children with disabilities in Latin America and the Caribbean”, Project Documents, (LC/TS.2020/154), Santiago, (ECLAC). Accessed from https://www.cepal.org/en/publications/46747-non-contributory-cash-transfers-instrument-promote-rights-and-well-being-children in April 2021.
- Secretaría de Bienestar (2021). “1er Informe Trimestral 2021, Programas de Subsidio del Ramo Administrativo”, 23 April 2021. Accessed from https://www.gob.mx/bienestar/documentos/1er-informe-trimestral-2021 in May 2021
Footnote
- See Secretaría de Bienestar (2020), “ACUERDO por el que se emiten las Reglas de Operación del Programa Pensión para el Bienestar de las Personas con Discapacidad Permanente, para el ejercicio fiscal 2021”, Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF), 22 December 2020, p. 4. [online] https://www.gob.mx/cms/uploads/attachment/file/602025/ROP_PPBPDP_22_12_2020.pdf