Cesar Arellano Garcia
Newspaper La Jornada
Thursday, November 17, 2022, p. 9
In the context of the 33rd anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the Por Tus Derechos committee, made up of 10 minors from six different entities, developed the Alternative report on the rights of children and adolescentswhich they will deliver to the Committee on the Rights of the Child.
The For Your Rights committee, with the support of the Uniendo Esfuerzos por la Niñez (Joining Forces) collective, made up of SOS Children’s Villages, ChildFund, Save The Children, Plan International and World Vision Mexico, facilitated a consultation in which more than 1,500 participated children and adolescents from 16 states of the Republic.
Said consultation includes questions about their rights such as access to water, gender identity, violence, education, participation, health services, spaces and times for play, care for the environment, and food.
According to said report, 53 percent think that there are no spaces for this sector of the population to make their opinion known and 40 percent feel that the authorities never or very rarely respect their opinions.
In addition, 41 percent of girls, boys, and adolescents are concerned about violence in their environment and 43 percent do not know of any complaint mechanism. Likewise, 48 percent feel unsafe in their communities and another 8 percent do not feel safe or confident in their school.
Also, 69 percent believe that girls and adolescents are more at risk of suffering violence than a male child or adolescent.
Regarding medical services, 76 percent said they had a health center in their communities.
However, 52 percent commented that it has happened to them or they know of someone who needed a doctor and one was not available, and 12 percent have felt uncomfortable while being seen in a consultation.
Regarding the educational issue, 12 percent answered that they did not have a school near their home, while 58 percent considered that the infrastructure in their campus should be improved and 38 percent would like the teaching method to be improved.
A key issue in the report is access to water, as 67 percent of children and adolescents responded that their families are charged for having drinking water and 10 percent have been denied access.
Of those who do not have access to water, 29 percent have had to carry water from a well and 21 percent have had to buy or ask for pipes.
