UNICEF-Venezuela: striking teachers violated children's rights

www.vheadline.com Posted: Thursday, February 20, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

The Education, Culture & Sports (MECD) Ministry has invited UNICEF-Venezuela, National Children’s Rights Council (CNDN), The Inter American Institute of the Child, Ombudsman’s Office and Attorney General’s office to discuss violations of children’s rights during the national stoppage.

When the discussion finishes tomorrow, those attending the event hope to draw up a declaration on children’s rights in Venezuela during events of December-January.

UNICEF-Venezuela representative, Ana Lucia D’Emilio has called on both sides not to use children’s rights as part of their political discourse. More and more people are coming around to the viewpoint that teachers who abandoned the classroom to join the national strike did indeed violate children's right to education and the UNICEF representative suggests that rights cannot be separated.

“Teachers can’t argue in their favor that the right to life is higher than the right to education … rights cannot be separated … by violating one right today, we may be violating a whole string of rights tomorrow.”

UNICEF insists that children’s rights must be guaranteed in times of crisis and the government must be aware of this.