On thursday, the Puebla Congress unanimously passed a landmark reform to the state’s Penal Code, imposing prison sentences of up to 22.5 years for forced cohabitation. This move positions Puebla as the 13th state in Mexico to legislate against the practice, marking a significant step in the fight for the rights of minors and vulnerable communities.

What Is Forced Cohabitation and Who Does This Law Protect?
The reform targets those who force minors under 18 or vulnerable individuals into informal unions—arrangements similar to marriage but without legal recognition. The new Article 224 of the Penal Code sets prison terms from 8 to 15 years for offenders. The sentence increases to a maximum of 22.5 years if the victim is from an Indigenous or Afro-Mexican community, or if the perpetrator is a relative, guardian, authority figure, or someone with power over the victim.

Why Is This Law So Important?
– One in five women in Puebla enters a partnership before turning 18, according to lawmakers from Morena, the Labor Party (PT), and the Green Party (PVEM), who championed the reform.
– In 2022, over 9,000 babies were born to mothers under 15 across Mexico.
– The law aims to address not only forced unions but also their consequences: school dropout rates and teenage pregnancies.

“This proposal seeks to highlight the urgent need to prevent forced marriages among children, adolescents, and young people under 18, or those unable to understand or resist such situations. The goal is to address violence against them and reduce school dropout and teenage pregnancy rates,” legislators stated.

Puebla’s Ongoing Challenge: High Rates of Forced Births Among Young Girls
In 2025, Puebla reported a forced birth rate of 2.95 per 1,000 girls aged 12 to 14, above the national average of 2.39, according to the National Population Council (Conapo). This places Puebla among the ten states with the highest rates in the country. The persistence of these numbers is linked to structural discrimination, poverty, traditional customs, and arranged unions between families.

While the state’s rate has dropped from 3.68 per 1,000 in 2018, the decrease hasn’t been enough to move Puebla out of the top ten nationally. Conapo’s study, “Sociodemographic Characteristics of Girl Mothers and the Parents of Children Born to Girls Aged 10 to 14,” ranked Puebla eighth in the country last year, behind states like Chiapas, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Chihuahua, Campeche, Michoacán, and Veracruz.

What’s Next?
With this reform, Puebla sends a strong message: forced cohabitation and child unions are no longer tolerated. The law not only punishes offenders but also seeks to break cycles of violence and inequality that have affected generations. For migrants, expats, and anyone invested in social justice, this is a reminder of the ongoing struggle for human rights and the importance of legal protections for the most vulnerable.