On October 22 and 23, 2018, the second Inter-American Forum of National Systems for the Comprehensive Protection of Girls, Boys and Adolescents (SIPINNAs) was held in Montevideo, Uruguay. The meeting was attended by civil society organizations, 52 girls, boys and adolescents, and 11 authorities from 17 participating States who expressed the main difficulties faced by the countries, as well as the challenges to implement a protection and promotion system that I contributed to the fulfillment of the rights and guarantees of children.
Representatives of the national coalitions of the Latin American and Caribbean Network for the Defense of the Rights of Children and Adolescents (REDLAMYC) from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala participated in the meeting. , Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela, the latter currently experiencing an acute economic and institutional crisis that has resulted in the violation of children's rights. In Venezuela, in many cases girls, boys and adolescents do not have basic rights such as food, health and education covered.
Regarding the situation in Venezuela, Carla Serrano, representative of the Network for the Human Rights of children and adolescents in Venezuela (REDHNNA), pointed out that currently there are no public authorities that assume their powers and responsibilities regarding children and adolescents, due, among other factors, to the consequences generated by the reform of the Special Law in 2007, "In Venezuela there is currently no standing a System for the Protection of Girls, Boys and Adolescents that specifically addresses the effects of the complex humanitarian emergency that we are experiencing, the situation of the rights of girls, boys and adolescents is very critical" said.
Since the reform of the Organic Law for the Protection of Boys, Girls and Adolescents (LOPNNA), the State has been centralizing attention and hindering the participation of a plural civil society in SIPINNA, capable of exercising counterweights and making contributions. Paradoxically, there is a vacuum as to who is responsible for guaranteeing the rights of children and adolescents.
Serrano explains that despite the restrictions after the reform, the REDHNNA as an associative endeavor continues to work in favor of children, through training, documentation of cases, presentation of reports, making complaints when there is a violation of children's rights , girls and adolescents and doing strategic litigation, as in the case of the precautionary measures that the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) granted to children from the nephrology service of the JM de los Ríos Hospital, located in Caracas, demanding that the State guarantee them and restore the right to health and that, unfortunately, have not been fulfilled.
Media contact:
Verónica Morales, Regional Communication Officer #TejiendoRedesInfancia +52 1 55 5620 9309
Image credit: https://redlamyc.org/en-venezuela-no-existe-un-sistema-nacional-de-proteccion-integral-que-reconozca-y-atienda-la-emergencia-humanitaria-que-viven- girls-boys-and-teenagers-redhnna /
