Mexico’s Ninis: World Bank Report Shows Numbers Skyrocket

Translated by Yaqui for Borderland Beat from: Universal

June 4, 2018

Full 42 Page WB Report Here: Mx Dropouts

The World Bank identified that in Mexico the "very persistent" problem of young people who neither study nor work (ninis), ie school dropouts has grown , which "may be linked to organized crime and violence , which increases the risks for young people and the society as a whole ".

In its report by Miguel Szekely Pardo: Ninis in Latin America, 20 million young people in search of opportunities , the international organization describes that in Mexico that problem is presented by three factors: "An increase in the proportion of ninis men, the lack of job opportunities for young people and an increase in the illegal market that made organized crime demand more workers. "

He adds that if the results for Mexico can be extrapolated to other countries in the region, the existence of ninis men could also be correlated with violence in Central American countries such as Honduras, Guatemala, Panama and El Salvador, which Mexicans see as moral influences, ie, role models, not to mention the glorification of "Narco Cultura" and the seemingly endless available opportunities to turn to that lifestyle of what on the surface appears to be easy money and access to drugs. 

"Some Ninis, ie dropouts, could participate in criminal activities that cause enormous damage, not only to themselves, but also to the welfare of society." according to Miguel Pardo.

Based on data from the National Occupation and Employment Survey, and official statistics on homicide rates in the country, the study found that between 2008 and 2013, when homicide rates tripled in Mexico and  there was "a positive correlation and significant between the proportion of Ninis and the homicide rate. There is also a positive and significant correlation between the Ninis and the homicide rates in the states bordering the United States, a region that is very affected by both organized crime and the economic crisis of 2008 and 2009. "

The profile of the Mexican and Latin American nini is a male who is between 19 and 24 years of age, lives in the cities and did not finish the baccalaureate, ie high school and dropped out. Normally the path that leads to this condition, especially among men, is the early school dropout to start work, followed by unemployment.

"When leaving school before finishing high school, young people usually lack the necessary skills to get a job in the formal sector, so in most cases they settle for temporary and unstable jobs in the informal sector. Once they lose these jobs, they never return to school, " Miguel Pardo  explains.

It is young men who have contributed to the increase in the number of ninis in the region, since while women have joined the labor market, "in a context in which the creation of jobs is limited, they find it more complicated to get work. During the last 20 years both the proportion and the absolute number of Nini men have increased ".

Young Women:

Women represent two thirds of the Nini population in the region and the most important risk factors they face are marriage before the age of 18 and pregnancy during adolescence; among the common features is that they did not finish high school, live in cities and are in conditions of poverty or vulnerability.

The study in Mexico was done by the former Under Secretary of Higher Education, Miguel Székely Pardo. A first report of this work was released in 2016 and now the full document is published, which includes 238 household surveys in different countries of the region, "to find the determining factors that make young people become ninis and identify the long-term effects on employability and wages".

Teach Your Children Well:

In Mexico, where the highest levels of school dropout are recorded in high school, the World Bank suggests combining early detection systems to identify youth at risk of dropping out of school, with socio-emotional interventions and tutoring: "Some training and entrepreneurship programs with innovative and evidence-based designs, together with public employment services, can improve the employability of young people, "says the study.

Teen Pregnancy:

For the preparation of the study, the World Bank conducted 18 in-depth interviews with Mexican and Honduran ninis. In most cases the father abandoned the family or was never present to help the mother, who became pregnant as a teenager. With the father absent, some mothers have to work for many hours, leaving the upbringing of the children in the hands of some grandmother, aunt, older brother or, in some cases, nobody.

Pregnancy in adolescence was "recurrent": because the mother of the young man got pregnant when he was a teenager or because the current nini is a single mother. Experience in the labor market reveals poorly paid jobs, in the short term and in the informal sector. Some have suffered abuse of many kinds, such as long work schedules without rest and sexual harassment.

"The majority of the ninis do not believe that the government can contribute to the solution. They think that the solution is in themselves. Sometimes they hope that the outcome will be higher income, but it is unlikely; For example, they dream of becoming a professional footballer, leaving the country to work on a cruise or emigrating to the United States, "the document explains.

One Example:"Out of Sheer Boredom I Started Using":

Out of sheer boredom I started on drugs," says El Güero, who points out that after having dropped out of high school "I dedicated myself to doing nothing" and curiosity led him to first consume marijuana, then ice, (meth) then cocaine and heroin.

"Then I got everything and started selling marijuana to the brothers at school," he says.

The 18-year-old, who left the high school paid by his mother with whom he currently lives, emphasizes that he tried to resume his studies at another school, but after three months he also abandoned it.

Assiduous assistant to "the pedas" and the clubs, the young man recognizes that being a "nini" and not being interested in studying or getting a job saw an easier way: to stock up on drugs in Tepito and then sell it to his acquaintances.

The young man confesses that, due to his addiction and because he did not have an income to buy the drugs, he first took profits from the sale of marijuana to buy clothes, but when he felt the need to have more money, he began to consider the possibility of assaulting people in the streets, and shortly after that he began to do it. 

"The truth, I was already very bad. I lost my girlfriend and all my friendships that were worth it. I only had some friends who were also drug addicts, "he says.

With problems with his mother, who for some time tried unsuccessfully to help him, finally "she put me in the annex and since I left she took me to a specialized center to treat my addiction," he recalls.

El Güero says that after the rehabilitation he has not used any drugs and is looking for a job.

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                            Link to 42 page WB Study by Miguel Szekely Pardo at Top