Each
year, World Red Cross Red Crescent Day is celebrated across
the globe on 8 May. The event offers an occasion for the members
of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to
pay tribute to the tremendous, life-saving work that is carried
out by its dedicated staff and volunteers around the world every
day.
The theme of this year’s celebrations is “together
for humanity”. As part of a four-part series to mark 8
May, we look at how regional alliances have enabled the International
Federation to confront the rapidly growing problem of youth
gang violence across Latin America and the Caribbean.
Quality of life and human development in Central America suffered
a devastating setback in 1998, when Hurricane Mitch left a trail
of destruction across the region.
Staff and volunteers from National Red Cross Societies, the
ICRC and the International Federation intervened both in the
immediate emergency period and through long-term development
programmes. It was to become one of the most significant operations
for the International Red Cross Red Crescent Movement of the
last 10 years.
By 2002, the Honduran Red Cross had identified a new and rapidly
growing problem of youth gang violence in the “temporary
macro-shelters” it was managing in Tegucigalpa, with the
support of the Spanish Red Cross. In response, it launched a
pilot project known under the concept of “extending opportunities”
in two communities. The project was supported by the Dutch,
Spanish and Italian Red Cross Societies.
Similar problems with juvenile violence were identified by the
National Societies of Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua.
There, too, projects were put in place to promote community
development in highly vulnerable communities. These ranged from
rebuilding infrastructures and water and sanitation, to HIV-AIDS
prevention, economic development and risk reduction.
As the number of similar projects increased, and with growing
interest on the part of other countries, the Spanish Red Cross
established a consultative network in the region. The aim was
to identify the causes of violence in the region, particularly
among young people and gender violence. Ten National Societies
from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica,
Panama, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Mexico, took
part, alongside the regional delegations of the ICRC and the
International Federation.
The result was a framework on the emerging “culture of
violence” set against the background of the lack of opportunities
and marked inequalities that characterize Latin America and
the Caribbean.
Inspired by the Principles and Values of the International Red
Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the framework concludes with
a proposal based on education and the promotion of citizenship
in relation to the exercise of human rights.
The regional strategy for violence prevention for Central America,
Mexico and the Caribbean was published in 2005 and disseminated
internationally. More recently, the plan of action has been
updated to cover the next few years and laying down a framework
for implementation.
This aims to address the sense of alienation, loss of creativity
and lack of aspirations among young people whose human rights
have been violated since childhood and who are therefore most
vulnerable to the culture of violence.
It will be presented for approval at the Inter-American Conference
in Guayaquil in June 2007.
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By
2002, the Honduran Red Cross had identified a new and
rapidly growing problem of youth gang violence in the
“temporary macro-shelters” it was managing
in Tegucigalpa, with the support of the Spanish Red Cross.
(p15701)
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Similar
problems with juvenile violence were identified by the
National Societies of Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua.
There, too, projects were put in place to promote community
development in highly vulnerable communities. Here a teenager
for the Nicaraguan Red Cross. (p15702)
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