Figures cited in the report show 1,154 recorded trafficking victims in 2025, compared with 537 in 2017. Those figures are official cases, not a measure of the full problem.
A cited estimate says only around 2% of cases reach the authorities. If accurate, that level of underreporting would make enforcement totals a poor guide to the true scale of exploitation. Organisations also identify corruption and impunity as barriers, while authorities say investigations and awareness campaigns are already underway.
The issue, therefore, is not simply whether Mexico can respond during the World Cup. It is whether its wider system can identify victims before exploitation becomes invisible.
Major events place extra demand on hotels, transport networks, nightlife and temporary work. The report says advocacy groups are also seeing recruitment move towards false job offers on social media, broadening the threat beyond traditional forms of sexual exploitation.
That shift makes prevention harder. A campaign inside a stadium cannot reach every vulnerable worker, online recruitment channel or hotel room. Training for staff, clear reporting routes and rapid access to specialist support will matter as much as public messaging.
Initiatives reportedly include hotel-worker training, guidance for guests and partnerships designed to encourage reports. Their effectiveness will depend on whether staff know how to recognise coercion and whether victims can seek help without fear of retaliation.
A credible safeguarding plan should be judged by more than the number of campaigns launched before kickoff. It needs coordinated enforcement, survivor support, protected reporting channels and scrutiny of how complaints are handled.
The next test comes before the opening match: whether Mexico can turn warnings into practical protection across all three host cities. The more important measure will come after the tournament, when authorities must show that prevention efforts continue after the crowds leave.