Children, the other side of the migrants in the Mexican city of Tijuana

Children, the other side of the migrants in the Mexican city of Tijuana



Maybe they are the most tired, but a ball or a scooter is enough to get them strength to start playing. They are the migrant children, the other side of the caravan of Central Americans that has arrived in the Mexican city of Tijuana to ask for asylum in the United States.

It's 09.00 in the morning in Tijuana and in the shelter installed in Benito Juarez sports car you can hear the noise of children who have risen before their parents to do what they know best, play.

After one more night of uncomfortable sleep and almost forty days of crossing, the children, even if they try food, choose to start their journey at full speed: some run in pursuit, others kick a ball, others learn to ride a scooter and others, the youngest, share the children's games of the sports car.

Authorities have reported that more than 400 children are part of the migrant caravan, which with some 3,000 members arrived in Tijuana this week and hopes to regroup to seek asylum in the United States or refuge in Mexico.

Surrounded by photographers and video cameras of the reporters, the children are interested in the work of the communicators and they ask for the cameras and the microphones.

For them, everything is a game, even though the journey and the stays in different hostels in Mexico are the same or perhaps more difficult to carry than for the adults who accompany them.

According to data from Mexican authorities, until today there were eleven migrants of nursing age (0 to 11 months), 99 of preschool age (1 to 4 years), 159 of school age (5 to 11 years) and 163 adolescents (12 to 17 years of age). ).

Of all of them, 62 travel alone and are in the range of 14 to 17 years.

"The first issue to address is health, there are many sick children in the shelter," with colds or stomach infections, says Melba Adriana Olvera, president of the State Commission for Human Rights of Baja California (Cedhbc).

He adds that they constitute "a highly vulnerable group and this is due to age, weight and (...) require priority attention, in addition to guaranteeing their food and stay in a decent space",

The Chamber of Deputies of Mexico recently requested the National Institute of Migration (INM) to collaborate with the System for the Integral Protection of the Rights of Girls, Boys and Adolescents (SIPINNA) and the National System for the Integral Development of the Family (DIF) , to attend and protect the children of the caravan, especially those who travel alone.

In addition, the legislators requested to establish a timely and prompt communication with the consular representations of the countries of origin of unaccompanied minors to implement consular protection procedures, accommodation and legal status, in accordance with international standards on the protection of human rights. of migrants.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has indicated that some 2,300 migrant children entered Mexico between October 19 and 22 and has called on the Mexican government to respect the human rights of children and adolescents. migrants

Currently, three groups of migrants from Central American countries are moving through Mexico, which are located in different parts of the country on their way to the border with the United States, where they hope to apply for asylum.

The migrant caravan left Honduras in mid-October, at the end of the month it was interned in Mexico and there some of its members requested refuge and received job offers, while the majority has crossed the country to go to Tijuana.

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