Venezuelan migration crisis: leave no child behind

DRAFT

VENEZUELAN MIGRANT CRISIS: LEAVE NO CHILD BEHIND Context Venezuela is facing an unprecedented economic and social crisis.

The Inter-Agency Standing Committee ,IASC 1, rates the situation in Venezuela and neighboring countries as of “high and immediate concern” pushing it to the top of the priority list for the humanitarian community in the next six months, with significant risk of further regional impact.

In August, UN estimated 2.3 million Venezuelans had left their country (7% of the population) since 2015. More than one million are in Colombia - The actual number is estimated over 2m as many are crossing illegally. - 70% are women and girls. ( the official data confirmed that 118.709 are children ( RAMV 2) It is increasingly evident that the Venezuelan exodus that began in 2014 is now the fastestescalating displacement of people across borders in Latin American history. The deepening political, economic, and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela has led to the mass movement of people across the region—mostly to Colombia, Ecuador and Peru—and beyond.

Current Migration Routes

The economic crisis in Venezuela is characterized by rising inflation, lack of food, lack of medical supplies and basic hygiene products.

1 The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) is a unique inter-agency forum for coordination, policy development and decision-making involving the key UN and non-UN humanitarian partners 2 118.709 niños, niñas y adolescentes que han migrado a Colombia desde el vecino país, de acuerdo con datos oficiales del Registro Administrativo de Migrantes Venezolanos (RAMV),

The food shortage has translated into an overwhelming food security crisis that directly affects thousands of children and families.

“At least 16 children, all under the age of five, have died at the University Hospital of Paediatrics Dr. Zubillaga in Lara state in 2018 only, due to infections caused by poor hygiene.

There have also been reports of child deaths at hospitals as a result of malnutrition, acute respiratory infections, acute diarrhoea, and other health conditions”( ICHR 3) Representatives of 11 States of Latin-American 4, met in Quito, Ecuador on September 3 and 4, 2018 and drafted a declaration (non-mandatory) to create a regional plan. During this meeting on the migration crisis in Venezuela, they agreed on: ensuring child protection; rejection of discrimination and xenophobia; access to procedures for the determination of refugee status. Additionally, they agreed to continue working on the implementation of public policies aimed at protecting the human rights of all migrants in their respective countries, in accordance with national legislations and the applicable international and regional instruments.

The Global Compact on Migration promotes existing international legal obligations in relation to the rights of the child. It further upholds the principle of the best interests of the children at all times, including unaccompanied and separated migrant children.

Moreover, it promotes broad multi-stakeholder’s partnerships to address migration in all its dimensions by including migrants, Diasporas, local communities, civil society, academia, private sector, parliamentarians, trade unions, national human rights institutions, media and other relevant stakeholders in migration governance.

Key advocacy Messages CALL FOR AN INMEDIATE RESPONSE Save the Children calls to the international community to Support with the Developed knowledge, resources and others to support the humanitarian crisis from Venezuela, to give the right attention to the most urgent needs from the people coming from Venezuela, especially recent born, early childhood, children, adolescents and pregnant women such as access to clean water, refugee, adequate feeding, shelter, access to quality education and health care, to ensure not leaving children behind ASK FOR DISAGGREGATED DATA States need strengthen the evidence base on children and adolescent migration from Venezuela “by improving and investing in the collection, analysis and dissemination of accurate, reliable, comparable data, disaggregated by sex, age, migration status and other characteristics relevant in national contexts, while upholding the right to privacy under international human rights law and protecting personal data. “ PUT CHILDREN FIRST IN A HUMANITARIAM RESPONSE Children should be a priority in the humanitarian assistance responses in agreed with “best interest of children”, Not nationality exist when all is about children’s rights and its realization, Children from Venezuela need urgent answer to the re-stablish of their rights.

EFECTIVE CROSS BORDER COORDINATION FOR PROTECTION States should ensure effective cross-border coordination and cooperation at the regional level between child protections actors in countries of origin, transit and destination, promoting the

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IACHR, Inter American Commission of Human Rights Press Release 215/18 ( October 2018) the Governments of the Argentine Republic, Federative Republic of Brazil, the Republic of Chile, Republic of Colombia, Republic of Costa Rica, Republic of Ecuador, United Mexican States, Republic of Panama, Republic of Paraguay, Republic of Peru and Eastern Republic of Uruguay

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best interest of migrant children and adolescents with special attention in unaccompanied or separated child and adolescent migrants IMPLEMENT MEASURES FOR ACCES TO BASIC HEALTH/EDUCACION AND PROTECTION SERVICES States should create and endorse public policies that facilitate the access to legal documentation that permit the social inclusion of migrant children, and secure the right to identity, as well as access to quality education without discrimination in a framework of 30 days since them arrive to the countries, access to healthcare, psychosocial services, adequate nutrition for migrant children and their families to diminish the risk to health problems and preventable diseases, shelter conditions with safe and dignity for children and their families as decent housing with access to clean water, in the international standards.

CAMPAIGN FOR AND WITH CHILDREN AGAINST DISCRIMINATION AND XENOPHOBIA To promote an intercultural society without discrimination, and prevent xenophobia and racism against migrant children and adolescents from Venezuela, campaigning with the active participation of children and youth raising with their messages and voices, take into account by the decision makers about the accomplishment of children’s rights from Venezuela’s children.