Trump’s Policies on Immigrant Children Violate the Convention on the Rights of the Child
By César Chelala
July 09, 2018 "Information
Clearing House"
- After enacting a
“zero tolerance” policy towards all adult
immigrants crossing the border into the
U.S., in effect separating parents from
their children and keeping the children in
inhumane conditions, the Trump
administration now intends to rescind this
measure. However, because some family
records have been lost or destroyed, some
children may never again be reunited with
their parents.
The separation of children from their
parents violates basic tenets of the
Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC),
an internationally recognized agreement
among nations that establishes a
comprehensive set of goals for individual
nations to improve children’s lives.
Although the convention has worldwide
recognition and support, the U.S. is the
only country in the world that hasn’t yet
ratified the CRC.
Separating children from their parents was a
cruel measure that elicited Ivanka Trump’s
tweeted response: “Thank you @POTUS for
taking critical action ending family
separation at our border. Congress must now
act + find a lasting solution that is
consistent with our shared values; the same
values that so many come here seeking as
they endeavor to create a better life for
their families.”
Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? |
Trying to put a spin on a disgraceful
decision is immoral, but not surprising in
an administration for which morality in
taking political decisions is of no concern.
There are still 3,000 children separated
from their parents, and 100 are under the
age of 5, according to Health and Human
Services Secretary Alex Azar. Children and
adolescents are kept in “cages”, a word
disputed by the U.S. Border Patrol that
says, in a statement, “It’s not inaccurate,
but they are very ‘uncomfortable’ with this
characterization.”
Anne Chandler, the executive director of the
Houston office of the nonprofit Tahirih
Justice Center said in an interview with
Texas Monthly that she had heard accounts of
children being separated from their parents
reportedly to give them baths and never
returning. When a parent asked about her
child who was taken away for a bath she was
told, “You won’t be seeing your child
again.”
An insider’s view of the situation of
children under detention was described in an
article by Molly Hennessy-Fiske in the Los
Angeles Times. She writes about Antar
Davidson, an American of Brazilian descent
who speaks Portuguese and who had been a
youth care worker at the Tucson shelter
Estrella del Norte. When three Brazilian
children arrived at the center, officials
told the siblings -aged 16, 10 and 6- that
their parents were lost, which the children
interpreted as dead.
When the 16-year old child ask Davidson
about his parents, tears streaming down his
face, Davidson decided to quit his job and
speak about his experiences at the center in
hopes of improving the system. He described
the facility as understaffed and unequipped
to deal with children going through
difficult situations, as happened to the
Brazilian children. “What was once a
transient facility with a staff that was
strained and struggling is now a permanent
facility which is more prison-like,” he
said.
The CRC calls for all children, including
those with disabilities, to be free from
violence and abuse, and compels governments
to provide them with adequate nutrition and
health care. The Convention also demands
that children be equally and fairly treated
regardless of gender, race or cultural
background, have the right to express their
opinions, and have freedom of thought in
matters affecting them.
In addition, the CRC emphasizes the primacy
and importance of the authority and
responsibility of parents and family, and is
consistent with the principles contained in
the U.S. Bill of Rights. According to the
Convention, children have the right to live
with their parents unless it is not in their
best interest.
Although the U.S. has not yet ratified it,
the Trump administration is not legally
bound by the tenets of the CRC to treat
children in a humane way. It is bound by the
rules of compassion and human decency.
César Chelala is an international public
health consultant, and a co-winner of an
Overseas Press Club of America award. He has
written extensively on children’s health for
the Pan American Health Organization.
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House.
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