Call to Action to end the institutionalisation of all children under 3 years of age in Paraguay

In the beginning of August, we launched in Paraguay the Call to Action to end the institutionalisation of all children under 3 years old. The launch was run by the Paraguayan State, with the National Secretariat of Childhood and Adolescence as its representative. This particular event was the culmination of the work and efforts coordinated by the country's governmental and civil entities.

Prior to this key event, a string of activities and conferences was carried out, part of an agenda devised within the scope of The Call to Action. In preparation, RELAF met with Minister Carlos Zárate Fleitas and Fátima Cabrera, Director of DIPROE, in order to develop an initial diagnosis regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the relevant public policies. This was done with the aim of promoting the deinstitutionalisation processes of children below 3 years of age in Paraguay. RELAF also met with Dr. Alicia Pucheta de Correa, Minister of the Paraguayan Supreme Court, in the Palace of Justice, in order to discuss the role of the Judiciary with regard to the deinstitutionalisation of all children from 0 to 3 years of age; representatives of DIPROE and the Human Rights Secretariat of the Supreme Court of Justice were also in attendance.

Providing continuity to the coordination of actors for the Call to Action, RELAF attended a conference organised by the Coordinadora por los Derechos de la Infancia y la Adolescencia (Coordination for the Rights of Children and Adolescents). UNICEF and NGOs, such as Corazones por la Infancia, Enfoque Niñez and SOS Children's Villages, were also present.

Lastly, RELAF worked in collaboration with the chief representative of UNICEF Paraguay, Mrs. Rosa Elcarte, and Assistant Protection Specialist Official, Andrea Cid Pasquali.

Protocol event: Declaration of the Call to Action

After a day of expositions by NGOs (Corazones por la Infancia, Enfoque Niñez and RELAF), the Judiciary (judges and attorneys), the National Secretariat for Childhood and Adolescence (represented by DIPROE) and the National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture, the signing of the Declaration of the Call to Action took place. The declaration was signed by Minister Fleitas; by the Public Defense Minister, Noyme Yore Ismael; by Andrea Cid, from UNICEF; and by Nury Montiel, from the Supreme Court. The following persons were honourable witnesses to the signing: Rosa María Orti, Rapporteur on Children’s Rights of the IAHRC and specialist in childhood-related issues; Diana Vargas, representative from the National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture; Raquel Fernández, Executive Director of CDIA, in representation of the civil society; and Matilde Luna, Director of RELAF.