Research report: guaranteeing the right to child support in Mexico in the context of the national code of civil and family procedures and the national registry of child support obligations (Sistema Nacional DIF)

Abstract

This research report analyzes the institutional and socioeconomic obstacles that condition the material effectiveness of the enforcement measures under the National Code of Civil and Family Procedures (CNPCF, 2023) and the National Registry of Child Support Obligations (RNOA) to guarantee the right to child support in Mexico. Based on the premise that child support is a fundamental human right grounded in the principle of the best interests of the child (enshrined in Article 4 of the Mexican Constitution and the Convention on the Rights of the Child), the study examines the gap between legal harmonization and its factual enforcement. Using a dogmatic-legal methodology complemented by secondary socio-statistical data, it demonstrates that variables such as widespread labor informality, financial opacity, fragmented technological interoperability, and the insufficiency of traditional precautionary measures weaken the State's coercive capacity to ensure timely payment. The study concludes that the material effectiveness of the CNPCF and RNOA reforms depends on reorienting the procedural framework toward coordinated, asset-focused enforcement mechanisms that prioritize the tangible satisfaction of children and adolescents over merely symbolic or punitive measures.