- Girls, boys and adolescents demand that the states guarantee access to education, health and housing for the Afro-descendant population in the region.
- What happened in the United States is proof that racism and discrimination are out of control and more dangerous than the COVID-19 pandemic. Saina- Dominican Republic.
- It is frustrating that because you are of African descent you are limited in doing certain things, we are all capable of developing a certain skill but many do not understand it. Yasmira - Colombia.
Following the death of African-American citizen George Floyd at the hands of a United States police officer, various groups of people expressed their outrage by holding protests against police discrimination and brutality.
Likewise, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, through a press release, condemned the way in which Floyd died, pointing out this fact as a setback in terms of Human Rights. [1]
In this context, in order to make visible the situation of the rights of Afro-descendant peoples, particularly girls, boys and adolescents, the #TejiendoRedesInfancia initiative, within the framework of the #NiñezPrimero strategy, carried out the virtual dialogue: How do they discriminate against us for being Afro-descendant adolescents?
In the session, the participating adolescents spoke of the difficulties they face due to their ethnic belonging, such as discrimination, racism and inequality, thus violating the rights of children and adolescents.
In this regard, Saina, a young Afro-descendant from the Dominican Republic, pointed out that many families of this ethnic group are victims of discrimination and do not have access to education, health, housing and other basic services, a situation that tends to worsen with the COVID-19 pandemic . “What happened in the United States is proof that racism and discrimination are out of control and more dangerous than the pandemic. We are all supposed to be the same, the only thing we don't have is the same opportunities ”, manifested.
On this, a report from the United Nations Population Fund indicates that the Afro-descendant population of Latin America and the Caribbean represents approximately 24% of the total population of the region, that is, 130 million people, including girls and boys; likewise, the document states that the most affected are young people. [2]
In this context, Yasmira, a young woman from Colombia regretted: “This world is so stigmatized that people are classified by their skin color, social status, age, sexual identity, and religion. It is too frustrating that because you are Afro-descendant, you are limited in doing certain things, where we are all capable of developing a certain skill but do not understand it ”.
In this sense, Juan Martín Pérez García, Coordinator of the # initiativeWeavingNetworksChildhood In Latin America and the Caribbean, he explained that racism and discrimination affect the dignity and life project of Afro-descendants; For this reason, he stressed the need to implement public policies that guarantee equal rights and fair treatment; “Progress was made in the struggle to recognize the rights of native peoples or indigenous peoples, but the same did not happen with Afro-descendant peoples (…) it is the obligation of the states to implement public policies that include educational systems and other areas, there is a need to recognize that this affects lives ”, remarked.
Regarding the subject, José Ovalle, an expert on children's rights from Panama, mentioned that racism and discrimination are complex phenomena that do not contribute to the development of society, he reflected on the importance of applying educational plans based on integrality, interculturality and respect for human rights. “If we want to build an evolved society that improves human conditions (…) there can be no differences; diversity, multiculturalism and the participation of all, regardless of size, sex, race and religion, cannot be based on differences, but on equalities ".
In closing, Esmirna, an adolescent from the Dominican Republic, called on the States, the media and civil society organizations so that they can promote, from their spaces, strategies to guarantee the rights of the Afro-descendant population and generate a better quality of life for this sector.
[1] IACHR Communiqué /
[2] UNFPA Latin America and the Caribbean /
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Press contact: Verónica Morales, Regional Communication Officer / [email protected]
About:
#ChildhoodFirst It is a strategy that provides guidance for the care of children and adolescents in emergency situations.
Weaving Childhood Networks, is a project co-financed by the European Union that seeks to contribute to the strengthening and consolidation of a platform for the defense of children and adolescents in 19 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of Children's Rights Mexico AC / #TejiendoRedesInfancia and in no case should it consider that it reflects the views of the European Union.