Rejection of violence in Peru and call for protection and reparation for victims
El CLACSO Working Group on Childhood and Youth This statement expresses its condemnation of the widespread violence in Peru since December 2022, following the assumption of the presidency by Dina Boluarte. She, along with her prime minister, the support of the parliamentary majority, and the backing of the Peruvian National Police and Armed Forces, have been responsible for the deaths of 67 citizens amidst a wave of nationwide protests. Sixty-four percent of these victims were Indigenous youth, including children and adolescents, from the southern regions of Peru. Among the victims were seven teenagers between the ages of 15 and 17, killed by gunfire.
DEA Q (15) Apurímac – December 11, 2022
RPM LL. (16) Apurímac – December 12, 2022
CMRA (15) Ayacucho – December 15, 2022
JWTC (17) Junín – December 16, 2022
YAH (17) Puno – January 9, 2023
ESLH (16) Puno – January 9, 2023
BAJ In (15) Puno – January 12, 2023
Furthermore, it is estimated that around 37 children and adolescents were injured, and their lives will never be the same. The most recent reports from national and international human rights organizations, observer missions, and most recently the report from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, all concur that there was excessive use of force and acts that can be classified as executions and massacres. Ultimately, the right to legitimate protest has been suspended, as has access to justice and reparations for all victims.
Peru is one of the first countries to sign the Convention on the Rights of the Child and subsequently updated its Children and Adolescents Code, developed multisectoral action plans for children, and recently approved the National Multisectoral Policy for Children and Adolescents to 2030, a framework instrument for public policies on childhood and adolescence issues to guide state action at its three levels of government. However, these recent developments demonstrate a lack of respect for the life, health, right to participation, and access to justice of children, adolescents, and young people, the majority of whom are indigenous Quechua and Aymara—lives that appear to be expendable and disposable.
In light of these events, the members of the CLACSO Working Group on Childhoods and YouthAs academics committed to social justice and well-being, we stand in solidarity with the victims of state violence and their families. We call upon the Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations, the governing body for children's issues, and the Ministry of Education, the governing body for youth issues, to assume their responsibilities in protecting these populations. We urge government authorities to definitively halt repressive measures against their citizens in the name of peace and justice in our America.
May 12th 2023
CLACSO Working Group
Childhoods and youth [+]
This text expresses the position of the aforementioned Workgroup and not necessarily that of the centers and institutions that make up the CLACSO international network, its Steering Committee or its Executive Secretariat.
