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The organizations and people here sign our deepest pain and rejection of the measure that separates children from their parents for immigration reasons in the United States. And we call on the authorities of this country to sign the Convention on the Rights of the Child and all our countries to review and make changes in their migration policies to ensure that they respect the Human Rights of girls and boys. At the same time, we invite all the people and nations of our continent to assume a shared responsibility to confront the social problems of our region as the only way to find long-term solutions to the problems of migration.

Since the beginning of May 2018, with the implementation of the zero tolerance policy against immigration, the US government has separated 2,342 children from their families on the border with Mexico. This policy leads to the criminalization of undocumented persons who enter the country in a non-regular manner, which leads to measures such as the separation of children from their parents.

This moment of suffering reminds us that the United States is the only country that has not ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, an agreement that explicitly protects children from being separated from their parents. It also comes at a time when the United States announced that it is voluntarily withdrawing from the Human Rights Council.

Article 9 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child states that: "States Parties shall ensure that the child is not separated from their parents against their will, except when, subject to judicial review, the competent authorities determine , in accordance with the law and applicable procedures, that such separation is necessary in the best interests of the child. "

However, we should not focus only on the problems of the North American immigration policy, but we should also look at the roots of this problem: People who migrate to the United States. they do it, mainly, escaping the hunger, poverty and violence that exists in their respective countries, and that are generated by the high levels of inequality that exist within and between our American countries. That is why we affirm that the problem must be addressed from a broader perspective than only from migration: It is a problem of inequality within and between countries. To move forward in changing this reality, it is all people and institutions - from the public, private and civil society - that can make a difference. And, as stated in the Sustainable Development Agenda, only through global alliances can we solve global problems.

As organizations that work in social matters, we affirm that this separation is an indefensible violation of the civil rights of children: A child is, before a migrant, a person and, as such, first of all they must respect Your rights. That's why we make the following calls to action:

We ask the Government of the United States to prevent the separation of migrant children from their parents. We also invite the authorities of this country to ratify their adherence to the International Convention on the Rights of the Child, in order to safeguard the healthy and dignified childhood of our continent and planet.

We ask the governments of the American countries, the Organization of American States (OAS), the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR), and other continental representation bodies to speak out against this immigration policy. And, in turn, that they commit themselves to initiate a process of reflection and design of policies that allow us to advance in effective strategies of overcoming poverty, protection of rights, continental cooperation and reduction of inequalities within and between our countries.

We ask all people living in our continent to speak out against this migration policy through social networks (#LasFamiliasDebenPermanecerUnidas and #FamiliesBelongTogether), demanding that the rights of girls and boys be respected. At the same time, we invite you to understand that the only way to solve the problems of poverty and exclusion in our own countries is from a local and global perspective.

Today, as citizens of the American continent, we have the inalienable responsibility and, in turn, the ability to change reality. Only with our collective action can we achieve it.

Signing organizations:
Children's Villages
America Solidaria
Adapt Chile Association
Community of Solidarity Organizations
Community Woman
Corporación Dolores Sopeña
Corporación Moviliza
Our House Corporation
Education 2020
EducAfrica
Abrazarte Foundation
Support Adoption Foundation
Aldea Foundation
Ayla Foundation
Best Buddies Foundation Chile
Camino Foundation
Colunga Foundation
Course Council Foundation
Cristo Vive Foundation
CIDENI Foundation Ibero-American Center for Children's Rights
Sacred Family Oncology Child Support Foundation
Educational Development Foundation
Don Bosco Foundation
Football Foundation More
Children's Foundation Chile
Engineers Without Borders Foundation Chile
Next to the Neighborhood Foundation
Milk Foundation for Haiti
María Jesús Vergara Foundation
My Talents Foundation
Honeycomb Foundation
Foundation for Trust
Pleiades Foundation
Probono Foundation
Round Foundation
Santa Clara Foundation
Scalibrini Foundation
Sembrar Futuro Foundation
Smiles Foundation
Foundation for Overcoming Poverty (FUSUPO)
Foundation Work in the Street
Transcend Foundation
UNes Chile Foundation
Housing Foundation
Local Footprint
Ideas for Children
Interpret
INCAMI
Bureau of Organizations of the
Odyssey
Volunteer Psychologists of Chile
Red Volunteers of Chile

Other organizations registered in the Web here

Signatory people registered on the Web here