Save the Children launched the #HablemosdeMigración campaign to guarantee the rights of children and adolescents
It seeks to serve the 248,000 migrant and refugee children and adolescents who are in a vulnerable situation in the country.
According to a report by the Working Group for Refugees and Migrants (GTRM Peru), 1,320,000 Venezuelan citizens resided in Peru as of December 8, 2021. They are part of the largest migratory wave in the history of the region, since estimates that more than 6 million people have left Venezuela in recent years and more than 5 million sought refuge in South American countries.
The Regional Response Plan for Refugees and Migrants (RMRP 2022), reports that of the total number of Venezuelan citizens who have arrived in Peru, 248,000 are children and adolescents who are in a situation of vulnerability: 36.4% are boys, 43.6% girls, 10% male adolescents and 10% female adolescents.
Studies carried out by Unicef, at the beginning of the migratory wave, reveal that 47% of migrant minors were under 5 years of age. Given this context, Save the Children seeks to reassess the importance of welcoming migrant children and guaranteeing their fundamental rights, including access to documentation, education and health. For this reason, it launched in April the national campaign #Let’s talk about migration, with which it tries to draw the attention of Peruvian society, and in particular of its authorities.
Evelyn Buenaño Ramírez, Director of Political Advocacy and Communications at Save the Children, explained that the campaign has the uniqueness of summoning the point of view of migrant children themselves, who will participate in the production of audiovisual products that reflect the experience of living outside of their place of origin. He announced that it is also planned to develop activities with schools that allow the collection of more voices and experiences that contribute to promoting intercultural dialogue and integration, making use of creative tools and artistic expressions.
“We wanted to promote the voice of migrant children and adolescents and learn about their experience as migrants. They will be the ones who will select the messages and on that basis, they will prepare a mini-documentary that will tell and highlight the experience of the families, showing the country what they are experiencing, the important thing about this is that we are including experiences of internal migration as well ”, Buenano explained.
The campaign integrates Piura and Lima, where campaign launches were carried out, calling various authorities and key actors, as well as La Libertad, Arequipa and Lambayeque. In all these regions where there is a large concentration of immigrant population, emphasis will be placed on the importance of giving children and adolescents a voice, seeking their empowerment to participate in intercultural dialogues that embrace diversity and facilitate integration.
“At Save the Children we ratify our concern to ensure the care and protection of migrant children and adolescents, especially those who, for various reasons, are not accompanied by their parents and therefore their situation is even more precarious. Welcoming the migrant population is not only a humanitarian duty, but also brings cultural and economic benefits to the host country. Both communities, the one that arrives and the one that receives them, are enriched by this exchange,” said the Director of Save the Children International for Peru, Verónica Valdivieso.
Since 2018, Save the Children has contributed to the fulfillment of migrant children by providing attention to their most pressing needs. So far, more than 30,000 children and adolescents have been reached. With the support of the USAID Office of Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), the project “Families without borders: Protected migrant children” has been implemented in Piura, Lambayeque, La Libertad, Lima and Arequipa. Thanks to this, costs of food, housing, shelter are covered, as well as information and counseling to promote maternal and child nutrition.