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World Refugee Day is commemorated on June 20, remembering that every minute, 24 people in the world
World Refugee Day
World Refugee Day, remembering that every minute, 24 people in the world[1]including children, adolescents and their families, flee their homes for fear of persecution, loss of life, liberty or security due to war, violence, massive violation of their human rights, or because of their race, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, political opinions or membership in a particular social group.
The measures taken by the States of the region in response to the control of the COVID-19 pandemic have left thousands of migrant and refugee children and adolescents, as well as their families, invisible, generating an increase in the poverty and inequality to which they were already exposed and deepening the violence and persecution against them.
The risks and dangers they face during their search for survival are innumerable: they face the adversity imposed by geography and climate, in addition to serious limitations to their mobility and access to their human rights, discrimination, xenophobia, violence and organized crime, situations that threaten their lives, dignity, safety, integrity and physical, sexual, psychological and emotional health.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, the conditions of vulnerability of children and adolescents in contexts of human mobility have worsened. Not only do they encounter closed borders that lead to greater precariousness in their migratory process, but also administrative processes for access to international protection that are suspended or with little capacity to respond; as well as the considerable increase in risk to their physical health: due to contagion and development of COVID-19, malnutrition or insalubrity, without access to timely medical attention; and finally, with limited or no participation in social programs to support the pandemic or the possibility of accessing livelihoods.
In the case of refugee children and adolescents, protection by the States must be guaranteed in a comprehensive manner through the National Systems for the Protection of Children, ensuring the necessary urgent and special assistance and protection; As well as procedures for the restitution of rights from the granting of international protection, with the purpose of providing each refugee child with the possibility of accessing rights such as identity, health, education, a life free of violence, personal integrity, family life, among others, until they achieve dignified living conditions that allow them to reach their maximum development in a holistic manner.
Finally, there are important challenges in our region aimed at eradicating xenophobic and discriminatory practices and behaviors against migrants and refugees.
Despite efforts to seek protection and access to rights for all children, especially those in contexts of human mobility, there is still much work to be done for our communities to recognize the value of all people and their ownership of human rights, to be exercised and respected without discrimination, especially in the context of COVID-19, in which they suffer a double discrimination, not only for being foreigners, but also by the false belief of being carriers of a disease of which they are victims like everyone else.
In view of the foregoing, the undersigned civil society organizations especially recommend to the States of the region:
We reiterate our commitment as civil society to the response to the crisis of mixed migratory flows in the region, human rights and humanitarian principles, making available our support, experience and knowledge to work together for the welfare and integrity of the people most affected by the crisis. We are confident that we can continue to support each other from an equitable and transparent structure.
[1] https://www.un.org/es/observances/refugee-day
Partner Organizations of Save the Children’s Civil Society Support Program in Latin America and the Caribbean
