It happens in the 21st century and in the United States, even if it seems a lie. Due to Trump's zero tolerance immigration policy, children who arrive with their parents illegally in the country are being forced away from them on the border Yesterday we met some distressing recordings that came to light that recorded the suffering of these children crying inconsolably to be separated from their families.
Under any circumstances, minors must always be with their families provided it is not counterproductive to them. These children are alone, caged and isolated in border detention centers, living a traumatic situation and without knowing what will become of them. They are treated as criminals and cannot even be touched or hugged by immigration agents to give them comfort. But they are not criminals, they are children, and they should never be separated from their parents.
A fundamental right of the child
The United States is the only country in the world that has not signed and ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Children. And clearly, they have skipped it to the bullfighter. Said express agreement in its article nine the next:
"The States Parties shall ensure that the child is not separated from his parents against their will, except when, subject to judicial review, the competent authorities determine, in accordance with applicable law and procedures, that such separation is necessary in the best interests of the child. Such determination may be necessary in particular cases, for example, in cases where the child is subjected to abuse or neglect by his parents or when they live separately and a decision must be taken about the child's place of residence. "
To separate them against their will is a violation of your rights and of course, it is inhumane that young children, some of them babies, are taken from their parents.
As if all this were not enough, in the midst of the humanitarian crisis, the United States has just announced that it is leaving the UN Human Rights Council.
They are not criminal
Most parents who risk crossing the United States border with their children are fleeing war and violence in their home countries. They are not criminals, much less children.
Children are already experiencing a stress situation, so they are children who deserve to be protected and stay with their families at all times until a solution is found.
UNICEF has denounced the United States
The Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Henrietta ForeHe said in a statement that "part of the heart see how children, some of them babies, and who sought refuge in the United States, are separated from their parents."
"Children, regardless of where they come from or what their immigration status is, are children first of all. Those who had no choice but to flee their homes have the right to be protected, have access to essential services and be with their families, like any other child, "Fore said.Children should NOT be separated from their families by their immigration status.
- UNICEF in Spanish (@UNICEFenEspanol) June 19, 2018
The best interests of the # refugee and migrant children must take priority in the application of the asylum procedures and laws of #EstadosUnidos → //t.co/i5P5TTLtue#AnteTodoSonNiños pic.twitter.com/CCrGvobAD6
Meanwhile, UNICEF spokesman Christophe Boulierac said that "It is not acceptable" to have children locked up and separated from their parents and stressed "that it is terrible not to be able to comfort and help a child by touching him, because children need affection and affection." We remind that people who care for children in these centers are not allowed to touch, caress or hug these children.
The trauma of being separated from their parents
Approximately two thousand immigrant children have been separated from their families on the border with Mexico in the last six weeks. The detention of these children and the separation of families "are traumatic experiences that can expose these children to exploitation and abuse," Fore added, in addition to "generating toxic stress."
The trauma that causes a child to be forcefully separated from their parents is evident and has been extensively studied by psychologists.
It will sound to you separation anxiety disorder, a syndrome that most children experience as a natural part of their emotional development around seven or eight months in fear of recognizing that they are independent people. Frequently, when he does not see or hear his mother / father, the baby feels anguish and cries inconsolably because he feels that they have abandoned him; He is not yet aware that you have only gone to the next room.
In some children, separation anguish may once again be present in the face of specific distancing from their parents. As we commented, although the baby lives it with much anguish, it is part of the development of his individuality, and there are various strategies to cope with it in the best possible way so that the child does not suffer.
The consequences of being separated from your family
That same feeling of desolation, but increased by being more aware, he experiences a child who is forcedly separated from his parents in a traumatic way. Being taken from his family is one of the major childhood traumas, a situation that the child lives with great anguish and anxiety, and may condition your mental health in the future.
In the short term feel fear, uncertainty, bewilderment, since it is taken away from the security provided by his reference figure, dad, mom or the relative he meets. In the long term, having been forcibly separated from your family will affect the way you interact with others in the future and predispose the child to suffer psychiatric problems in adulthood.
"Any forced separation is very stressful for children and can cause lifelong trauma, as well as an increased risk of other mental illnesses, such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder," said Dr. Altha Stewart of the American Association of Psychiatry.
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