“We Must Take Care of the Children” Is ICMC’s Resounding Plea at Human Rights Council

June 13, 2017

The International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) delivered a statement at a side event during the 35th Session of the Human Rights Council on the 15 June, which called for increased respect for human rights and mercy for the lives of those who suffer the hardships of migration in Central America. The event, entitled “Migration in Central America: Migrants are not a danger but in danger”, was co-sponsored by ICMC, Caritas Internationalis, Franciscan International, Plataforma International contra la Impunidad, LA72, and Asylum Access.

“We must take care of the children” was the resounding plea with which ICMC’s policy intern, Karla Estrada, addressed international participants at the event. Her statement urged for rights and mercy in migration policy implementation to benifit unaccompanied children and adolescents across borders. Highlighting their vulnerability as children, sometimes without family, the statement invoked Pope Francis’ call for greater sensitivity and response to the suffering of migrants, especially where children are concerned. In view of unaccompanied children’s mobility, the statement proposed that practical, existing mechanisms with timelines for action be included in the upcoming Global Compact on Migration. Estrada concluded by commending “Bishop Ramazzini and other Church and civil society actors who are taking care of children on the move in Central America and around the world”.