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OEA/Ser.G
CP/DEC. 54 (1979/14)
23 July 2014
Original: Spanish
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CP/DEC. 54 (1979/14)
CENTRAL AMERICAN UNACCOMPANIED CHILD MIGRANTS
(Adopted by the Permanent Council at its
regular meeting held on July 23, 2014)
THE PERMANENT COUNCIL OF THE ORGANIZATION OF
AMERICAN STATES,
TAKING IN TO ACCOUNT that the migration of children and adolescents not
accompanied by their parents constitutes one of the most glaring
manifestations of social exclusion and the lack of protection of their
human rights,
CONSIDERING:
That there is deep concern about the growing number of unaccompanied
children and adolescent migrants, mainly from El Salvador, Guatemala,
and Honduras, who are in transit or currently in shelters under the care
of migration authorities along the southern border of the United States
of America;
That the phenomenon of child migration should be approached from a
comprehensive perspective that considers and includes migration measures
as well as economic and social policies in all the countries involved;
and
That the protection of the lives, the respect for human rights, and the
well being of migrant children must be guaranteed at all times as
cornerstones of migration policies, legislation, and procedures
implemented in all countries, bearing in mind family reunification,
DECLARES:
1. Solidarity with the governments of the region, so that the problem of
unaccompanied migration of children is addressed from a humanitarian
perspective that ensures the wellbeing and respectful treatment of the
children and that allows for family reunification where appropriate.
2. The importance of urging countries of origin to make genuine efforts
to guarantee essential security conditions for their citizens, in
particular children and adolescents, and respect their human rights, so
they can develop and flourish in their own local communities within
their countries of origin.
3. That the international community and countries of origin be urged to
jointly allocate resources to foster economic development, social
inclusion, employment opportunities, and citizen security in order to
reduce the impetus for migration to other countries in search of
opportunities not found in the countries of origin.
4. Its request that receiving countries, including countries of transit,
consider the wellbeing and full respect of the human rights of children
and adolescent migrants as a central humanitarian principle in their
migration policies to address this issue.
5. Its support of countries of origin, transit and destination in their
efforts to combat organized transnational crime, human smuggling and
trafficking.
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