Unicef asks for protection for minors detained in Venezuela
Unicef called on guarantee the rights of minors detained in Venezuela and highlighted the urgency of reforming the treatment they receive in detention centers.
Abubacar Sultan, representative of this United Nations agency in the country, expressed concern about the conditions in which many adolescents live in conflict with the law. Therefore he urged that deprivation of liberty is a measure of last resort, limited to the most serious cases and for the shortest possible time.
His statements were offered during a master class at the Fermín Toro educational complex in Caracas.
Sultan insisted that detained minors should not be seen only as offenders, but as young people who are often victims of external factors, such as poverty, violence and social exclusion.
«The answer must be focused on justicepromoting education, rehabilitation and social reintegration, and providing them with the necessary tools and opportunities so that they can rebuild their lives and a better future for themselves and for society,” he noted.
Go beyond repression
He assured that the approach towards these young people must go beyond simple repression.
The representative stressed the importance of respecting the Organic Law for the Protection of Children and Adolescents and the international commitments established in the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
He recalled that these legal frameworks require that the rights of minors be a priority, even in situations of conflict with the law. Furthermore, he recommended to the Venezuelan authorities implement public policies that ensure that adolescents have access to educational programs, psychological support and opportunities that allow them to rebuild their future.
Unicef also reaffirmed its commitment to working with institutions and communities for the development and implementation of policies and programs that guarantee comprehensive protection against violence against children and adolescents in all the spaces in which they develop.
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