PRESENTATION OUTLINE
While Venezuela has increasingly come under the spotlight of international public attention for its appalling human rights record suffered by members of its adult population, one extraordinary fact has remained all but undiscovered: Children in Venezuela are also at risk of serious human rights violations.
In 2014, Venezuela made a minimal advancement in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. The Government signed the Declaration of the Regional Initiative: Latin America and the Caribbean Free of Child Labor and maintained policies and programs that aim to alleviate poverty and improve conditions for some working children. However, children in Venezuela continue to engage in the worst forms of child labor, including in commercial sexual exploitation and forced domestic service.
The Government does not have sufficient efforts in place to protect children in key sectors where child labor is prevalent and does not make information on enforcement efforts publically available. In addition, information is not available on the effectiveness of the Government's coordinating body on child labor, and the Government has not established a list of hazardous occupations prohibited for children.
In Venezuela, children can be found working in agriculture and small-to medium-sized businesses, scavenging in garbage dumps, and participating in gold mining. Children work in the formal and informal economic sectors. Some of them work as street vendors and store retailers. According to the Government of Venezuela Statistics Office, 142,098 children work in the agricultural sector, 14,057 in the manufacturing sector, and 36,852 in the construction sector.
Minors are engaged in commercial sexual exploitation. Trafficking in children is a problem. There are reports of the trafficking of children internally and internationally for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor. Indigenous children are trafficked and forced to work as miners and prostitutes in illegal gold mining camps. Child prostitution in urban areas and child sex tourism in resort destinations appear to be growing.
Child Slavery
Children are also being trafficked from Ecuador to Venezuela. The children work in virtual slavery conditions as street vendors, domestic workers and prostitutes. They are abducted, sold by parents or lured by false promises. In 2014 14% of the persons working as prostitutes were children between the ages of 12 and 17
What does the UN have to say about the situation in Venezuela?
The situation in Venezuela goes against everything the United Nations believes in and abides by, creating a lot of conflict between the countries organisations. The United Nations stands for international cooperation and the safety of World Citizens from any possible danger. The UN is completely against violence to all human beings including children and they believe many rules are being breeched in Venezuela.
Article 4 of the United Nations exclaims a world wide belief about slavery and the loss of rights and torture involved, this article is completely disregarded in Venezuela in relation to the treatment of the children.
Article 24 Explains how everyone no matter what age, has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay. The children in Venezuela are been mistreated according to this article!
These articles are just two examples of simple changes that could be made to make the lives of the Children in Venezuela a whole brighter each and every day.
These articles are just two examples of simple things people are not getting right in Venezuela.
The United Nations is written to allow everyone in this world to succeed on earth and we should try to follow these articles at all times.
What are the UN doing to help the situation in Venezuela?
The United Nations human rights are deeply concerned about the escalation of violence in Venezuela, including the death of at least three people during protests, called on all parties to engage in to resolve the crisis. A Public Prosecutor reported that three people lost their lives, 66 were wounded and 69 detained, as a result of various clashes during and after demonstrations. Thousands of people in big cities throughout Venezuela reportedly participated in protests against the detention of student demonstrators earlier in the week.
The UN are trying to help with this protest, as well as against rising crime rates and increasing economic hardship in the country, according to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN are doing as much as they can to stop the violence, deaths and people getting injured in Venezuela. The United Nations are especially appalled at the treatment of the Children in Venezuela and sourrounding areas but find comfort in the fact that the community are trying to make a difference.
The United Nations continue to offer supplies and remind the Venezuelan public that they have the United Nations never ending support. The United Nations are determined to make a difference to the kids lives and make a change for good in terms of the slavery and mistreatment of the miners in Venezuela.
In our opinion the United Nations are 100% doing everything they can to prevent the situation in Venezuela from occurring. They are an extremely active organisation in the area and have vowed not to leave until they can clearly see a large improvement. We believe having such a driven organisation down on the ground in Venezuela is an amazing Posative influence.
We can definitely see an organisation such as the United Nations being the driving force in Venezuela to create a long lasting better life for the victims. The United Nations are definitely living out their morals and beliefs throughout all their work in Venezuela and changing things there for the better.