HE north triangle Central America—Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Mexico— the most severe areas for those who set their eyes on and decide to emigrate. United States of America. If immigrant is is women And Youth, security vulnerabilities, and with them the dangers multiply. When they decide to leave, they have already packed the morning-after pill in their travel bag, knowing they will be raped on the way, leaving behind scenes of violence and extreme poverty many times over. They also use other protection methods like go. disguised as a man And always dirty, as formulas to repel attacks. This is how Janaina Hirato, the humanitarian aid worker for the NGO’s gender emergency, explains it. international plan. The organization presented the results of a collaborative study. young central american women detail why they migrated and what their transition was like.
In the opinion of more than one 260 young people from among 15 and 19 years There are many common denominators in the mobility situation discussed for the report. This Sexual and gender-based violence in the place of origin motivates the decision to migrate in many cases. This lack of employment And difficulty in accessing education Complete the motivations. After the difficult decision he made immigratemay be the way another ordealas can be seen from their testimonies.
dirt as protection
one like this 15 year old teenagerwho wants anonymity, related to Venezuelan descent interview by NGO Plan International inside Mexican: “For women, it is most dangerous to cross the forest; My mother dressed me like a man, oversized, loose-fitting clothes, a hat to hide my hair, and I was always dirty so they wouldn’t try to rape me. But there are still violations.”
and one FranciscaA 17-year-old Venezuelan refugee staying in a shelter in Mexico says part of the journey is crossing the river. Dangerous Darien forest between Colombia and Panama, through which more than 250,000 immigrants passed last year: “We had to cross Darien for five days to get to Mexico, and I fell in the forest with my son. Then a friend of mine picked him up and I did not see him for six days, alive? I didn’t know if he was dead.Francisca describes how they were attacked by armed criminals and lost most of their money and possessions.
“Darién hell, it takes more than five days to walk through the woods with mud up your back, bug bites, no food and very scared,” says a 15-year-old compatriot. Francisca when you remember what you went through forest area to add: “There are times when they explain, Men and women rape anyone who goes without noticing. But it didn’t happen to us.”
Another 15-year-old teenager who said his name was Carmen trying to protect oneself is not his real name, but it is also a painful journey where did he have to leave it your book and part of your most valuable possessions.
The report highlights: 7.9 million immigrants in Latin America and the Caribbean are under the age of 18 and states that girls and adolescents represent 20% of the total number of women who have immigrated from these countries. “Violence in their countries of origin increases and transforms during migration, at which time they are exposed to much greater risks such as human trafficking, kidnapping and extortion,” said an expert on the side. This Dénora Cobar, Regional Director for the Americas and Caribbean, Plan InternationalAccording to the report, Central American adolescents face repeated discrimination and serious violence at immigration crossings in their daily lives. This is confirmed by the testimony of Miriam, a Honduran transiting to the USA.