Youngsters write up declaration to safeguard rights

Puerto Rico, 25 November 2010 -During the IV World Congress on Child and Adolescent Rights, held this week in San Juan, children, teenagers, and young people presented a declaration as part of an effort to have their rights safeguarded.

Around 100 young people from Puerto Rico, Colombia, St. Lucia, Dominican Republic, Mexico and Aruba joined in the writing  of the declaration, which also includes definitions  by the participants themselves, clarifying terms regarding identity and expression, participation, information, housing, health, family, safety, culture, economy, environment, recreation, and education.

The final document was approved by group members and presented during the closing ceremony of the IV World Congress, with the participation of representatives and entities working for children and youth from 30 different countries. Education Secretary Jesús Rivera Sánchez also participated in this event.

The Declaration of Puerto Rico now joins the ones from Venezuela, Lima, and Barcelona, which were signed during the preceding congresses. It will be used as an instrument to convince maximum authorities in the United States and Puerto Rico to have proposals  ratified at the Convention for the Rights of the Child.

The Toque de Bomba (Touch of Bomba) group of Nuestra Escuela (Our School) in Loíza, was in charge with the congress's closing activity. This IV World Congress on Child and Adolescent Rights focused on the topic of violence, during the plenary forum titled “Perspectives on the eradication of violence against boys, girls, and adolescents.”

Former Education Secretary and President of the Ricky Martin Foundation Board of Directors, César Rey Hernández, explained how child trade, the use of corporal punishment in some countries of Latin America as a disciplinary method in homes and schools, and the abuse of children at an early age, lead their victims to commit crimes in the future.

The IV World Congress, which started on Nov. 15, included the discussion of topics dealing with economy, identity, health, education, and violence, seen from the perspective of children and young people. More than 60 speakers and internationally renowned panelists on the rights of children and adolescents collaborated during the event.

Source: Puerto Rico Daily Sun