By Maria Garcia | Project Leader
In February of this year, the local government carried out a police operation to evict a group of merchants from the city center. Teenagers were illegally detained, and dozens of children were assaulted, primarily psychologically. This is due to a "social cleansing" campaign targeting groups of vendors, primarily criminalizing working children and adolescents. Some of the subsequent actions have included harassing parents by telling them their children cannot work and that if they were found selling, they would be sent to the government system for care. This has generated fear, in addition to being illegal.
In response to this, and based on our mission, we have launched a digital awareness campaign addressing the five main myths people have about working children. You can find a video of this at the following link: https://youtu.be/B86gyQ3-ltg?si=6PBB7gLtc9XYVIin
The goal is to raise awareness about children's right to live safely in the city. This means they can be anywhere without risk, and they can work alongside their families to continue learning and developing their skills. This also means they can earn a much-needed income, as long as it doesn't affect their well-being.
On May 1st, children took to the streets to demand their right to a life free from violence, the right to the city, health, education, and decent work. They marched along the city's main thoroughfares and played and socialized with other child workers in Cathedral Square. https://youtu.be/m8mqLoHO0fQ?si=DEtAcNEb6czt9u74
Likewise, it is necessary to uphold the right to education. Therefore, at Melel, we have created four literacy booklets so that children can strengthen or develop motor and writing skills, thus narrowing the educational gap.
On behalf of the entire Melel Xojobal team, we appreciate your continued support for this project. We invite you to follow us on our social media @melelxojobal and learn more about our work.
Greetings and thank you.
By Maria Garcia | Project Leader
By Maria Garcia | Project Leader
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