Oficina de Defensoría de los Derechos de la Infancia (ODI)

What was learned from practice-based knowledge:

Note: This section contains descriptions of childhood sexual violence.

ODI began identifying patterns and systemic gaps:  

• Patterns of childhood sexual violence: Groups of school staff (teachers, principals, administrative staff, and maintenance workers) were acting together to subject children as young as 3 to 7 years old to physical, sexual and psychological violence. Victims were often sedated and sometimes forced to attack each other while being filmed. These patterns emerged across states, in both public and private schools.
• Hidden spaces: Childhood sexual violence was often perpetrated in secluded spaces, such as windowless storage rooms, which were difficult to monitor.
• Institutional failures: The Public Education Secretariat (SEP) delayed investigations, tried to dissuade families from reporting, and often closed cases without action.
• Flawed investigative practices: Inadequate techniques for interviewing young children meant many testimonies were disregarded, weakening cases as a result. 

Action:

• Published reports: In 2021, ODI released It’s a Secret: Child Sexual Exploitation in Schools, documenting 18 cases across seven states with the distinct pattern of multiple perpetrators and very young children. A second report in 2024 expanded the documentation to another 27 cases across 12 states. Both combined ODI’s case files with public records and media reports, making systemic patterns visible.
• Litigation: ODI used their practice-based knowledge to highlight these issues before the court while representing a group of children in a high-profile legal case against the Public Education Secretariat (SEP).

Why this matters: The value of practice-based knowledge

ODI’s frontline legal work shows how knowledge generated through practice can reveal patterns of harm and institutional failure that might otherwise remain hidden. In this case, insights from direct case handling brought to light organised childhood sexual violence in schools and forced national attention on issues the state had ignored. 

Practice-based knowledge is not a substitute for formal evidence; the two are most powerful when used together. While research provides depth, validation, and generalisable findings, practice-based insights can highlight urgent gaps, shape the questions that research and investigations must address, and ensure that systemic failures are not overlooked. Together, they strengthen the broader knowledge base. 

ODI’s experience shows that insights from practice can be a powerful starting point to uncover systemic gaps in safeguarding. Whether you work in schools, other child care institutions, or in legal and advocacy roles, consider reflecting on the following questions: 

For practitioners and school/child-care professionals 

• In your setting, are there physical or structural features (hidden spaces, unsupervised areas, weak reporting systems) that may increase risks for children?
• Do you see recurring obstacles such as families being discouraged from reporting, or children’s complaints being dismissed?
• Are there child-friendly reporting and referral channels that children and families trust? What is missing? 

For lawyers, advocates, and policy actors 

• Do you see patterns across cases that indicate systemic failings (e.g., cover-ups, delayed investigations, negligence by authorities)?
• Where does practice-based knowledge from your cases point to the need for policy reform, new investigative procedures, or accountability mechanisms? 

Overall reflective questions 

• How can you gather these patterns from practice to show that the problem is systemic, not isolated?
• Where does your practice-based knowledge from day-to-day experiences point to the need for deeper research or evidence-building?
• How can you keep these failures visible when institutions are slow to act?