HR in Venezuela: D-

<a href=www.vheadline.com>venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Tuesday, October 08, 2002 By: VHeadline.com Reporters

Teenage mothers to get a chance in life.

• The Caracas Lottery has donated 150 million bolivares to the Caracas Children’s Foundation for help kickstart a program for teenage mothers.

Foundation president and Metropolitan Mayor Alfredo Pena’s wife, Martha Penny says the money will be used to buy a building where the center can function.

"We will begin by catering to 30 girls … it’s a training and educational program, which allows the girls to bring in their children while they are studying."

• According to the Venezuelan Association of Alternative Sexual Education, 1 in 5 women give birth before they reach the age of 20.

Lottery representative Oscar Garcia says it’s a worthy cause since the project "gives teenage mothers a chance to get into the job market and on to higher studies."

Police murder squads top the bill in next HR group visit to the OAS.

The growth of extrajudicial police murder squads will be on the agenda of Venezuelan human rights groups when they visit the Inter American Human Rights Court on October 15. 

Cofavic, Caracas HR Vicariate and Ciudad Guayana Humanas Dignitas will present 100 murders attributed to police goon squads this year as evidence. 

• The Ombudsman’s Office claims 392 cases since 2000.

Cofavic executive director Liliana Ortega says police murder squads have been detected and corroborated in Portuguesa, Falcon, Yaracuy, Anzoategui and Bolivar States.