El Salvador: IOM trains local teams to protect migrant children

A series of virtual sessions developed by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in El Salvador trained public officials in the best approach to assist migrant children and adolescents. The course is called Specialized Course on Migrant Children and has been implemented in the region since 2017. On this occasion, 13 people representing Local Law Committees and the National Council for Children and Adolescents (CONNA) participated.  

The Local Law Councils are municipal administrative bodies whose main functions include developing local policies and plans on the rights of children and adolescents, and ensuring that the collective and widespread rights of all children and adolescents in the municipalities of the department of La Unión are guaranteed.  

COVID-19 was not a reason to cancel this training, so the participants met virtually from May 15th to 21st. Among the topics discussed were children's rights, national law and mechanisms for protection and mental health care. In addition, the methodology of communication for development was addressed as a tool for the creation of information campaigns.

"I have learned a lot about the risks migrants face before they set out in their journey. This issue will come to strengthen our work because they leave us tools, they leave us material on how to talk to these people who are being vulnerable in their rights and who are thinking about making this dangerous decision," explained David Reyes, who participated on behalf of a Local Rights Committee.  

"In addition to the risks, we have emphasized on what rights migrants have. These are issues prioritized by the local rights committees and they have to be included in order to establish actions in favor of children and adolescents and guarantee their protection", added Edwin Santos from CONNA.

This course was developed within the framework of the Regional Program on Migration Mesoamerican- The Caribbean, with funding from the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM).