- Despite not being able to vote on July 28, three Venezuelan children and three teenagers gave their opinion on what they want for the future of their country
Establishing public policies that promote the rights, needs and even the interests of children and adolescents in Venezuela is the expectation that this population has of the country’s president.
Various sectors of civil society such as business, health and education have had the opportunity to speak with the candidates about the proposals they hope will be implemented in the next presidential term. The team of The newspaper wanted to do a similar exercise with a group of children and adolescents who expressed their concerns.
Although this population cannot yet vote, both the Constitution and the Organic Law for the Protection of Children and Adolescents (Lopnna) provide that they have the same rights as adults, including those of a participatory nature.
What Venezuelan children want
Fabian Bastidas, 10, explained that the next president of Venezuela should focus on education and how to strengthen it. For him, one of the priorities should be to pay teachers adequately. He said that if he had to vote against him, he would vote for a candidate who offers an improvement in teachers’ income.
“Right now many teachers are leaving from various schools. So I want teachers and all workers in Venezuela to be paid well so that they don’t leave,” Fabian told El Diario.
Another of this child’s concerns is health and those who care for him. He said he would like to see hospitals provided with more doctors to be able to deal with emergencies.
Asked if he believes that public institutions give priority to children and adolescents, he said no and insisted that to do so they must provide them with a good education and financially support teachers.
“I would tell the future president to try to improve the economy. Right now, workers are being hit really hard, and if the economy improves, more money could come into the country and they could be paid well,” he added.
Nine-year-old Mia Medina said she would like the next president of Venezuela to focus on caring for homeless children, especially those with health problems.
“I would like him to take care of the health of street children and women as well,” Mía told El Diario.
The girl said that she takes dance classes and previously studied drawing. She said that she would like education about art and culture to be easily accessible to all children in the country. She added that she would like mothers to have a better income to be able to afford the things their children need or want. She mentioned that it was recently Children’s Day and in some cases parents did not have the resources to buy a gift.
Briana Nuñez, 5, expressed deep concern about Venezuelan migration. She has witnessed her family being divided between the United States, Portugal and those still in Venezuela. She is also watching her cousins grow up from a distance with the support of video calls.
“I want my grandparents and my uncles to come back to Venezuela, because I haven’t visited them for a long time. I want to meet my cousin because I don’t want to see him on the phone anymore, I want to see him in person,” Briana told El Diario.
Another of Briana’s concerns is related to homeless people and older adults who have no family support.
What do Venezuelan teenagers expect?
Juan, 17 years old, explained to The newspaper If she had the opportunity to vote in these elections, she would do so because she believes it is necessary to exercise her right as a citizen. She indicated that she would like the next president of Venezuela to offer diverse spaces for participation in which children and adolescents can freely express themselves.
“I think that education should be strengthened, but I would add that there should be more education in the arts and sports. Art is a fundamental means of expression for children and adolescents who may not be able to express themselves orally,” said Juan.
He indicated that the president who serves in the new presidential term should focus on promoting comprehensive sexual and reproductive education in schools on a mandatory basis. He added that another beneficial policy could be to provide training in human rights and childhood and adolescence to Venezuelan health personnel.
“As far as recreation is concerned, I think it would be good to consult children and adolescents before making any investment, that is, not just build a court and that’s it, but take into account our voice regarding how we want to recreate ourselves,” he added.
Juan explained that the next government must implement policies within the Councils for the Protection of Children and Adolescents focused on the mental health of this population when carrying out legal procedures and protecting families. Finally, he believes that adults who manage national policy are missing the issue of climate change. He pointed out that this is a concern for many young people because it generates uncertainty about their future.
Juan, Gabriel and Aaron are part of the Pana Editorial Board of the Community Learning Center (Cecodap). They also participated along with nine other teenagers in the preparation of the Declaration for the Future: choose with children and adolescents, a document with 11 proposals on the main rights of children and adolescents to work in a new government.
A diverse education
Gabriel, 16 years old, said he would like a new government to make education more diverse and create spaces and public institutions where children and adolescents with different learning rates can be properly educated. He highlighted the case of children and adolescents with high intellectual abilities, who have few guidance options in Venezuela.
“A future president could discuss policies to care for gifted adolescent boys and girls, which is a very invisible issue,” Gabriel told El Diario.
He believes that Venezuela currently has a low educational level, which is why he believes it is necessary to put emphasis on addressing the problems that affect the quality of education, such as the economic situation of teachers, infrastructure and services, among other things.
“We have schools and teaching methods from the 19th century, teachers from the 20th century and students from the 21st century, so we have to change the way we teach,” said the teenager, who also referred to the use of technology as a support for the educational process.
Regarding health, he explained that the next government should invest in equipping and rehabilitating existing hospitals instead of investing in the construction of new outpatient clinics or care centers. “You can invest in renovating the infrastructure. There are hospitals like Vargas that you go to and it’s scary, even though it’s a very good hospital, when you’re inside it’s scary.”
Gabriel proposed that policies could be implemented to resettle families living in towns and neighborhoods at risk of damage from natural disasters. He indicated that one of his concerns is that homes built on hills or near rivers are more fragile in the face of phenomena such as the one that occurred in Cumanacoa on July 2 after the passage of Hurricane Beryl. He added that in these situations children are the most affected.
When discussing what other policies could benefit children and adolescents, she said that some regulation could be included for the use of electrical devices, especially in babies and preschool-aged children.
“I think there should be a law regulating the age at which a person can have and use a phone, because giving a 2-year-old child a phone to entertain themselves is something I do not agree with, because it creates dependency on that device,” he emphasized.
Freedom to inform oneself
Aaron, 17, confessed that he finds it difficult to trust democracy and the electoral process, because those around him are distrustful and it has been difficult for him to find out about the presidential elections on his own.
“I feel like there is very little information available to the public. I made it too complicated when I searched because the only place I found information about the candidates was Wikipedia and we know that it is not the most reliable site. If you then want to look up, for example, how the entire voting process works, it will get even more complicated,” Aaron explained. The newspaper.
She added that her searches were carried out with blocked media and outdated official pages, which is why she believes it is important that the next government allows the right to information to be fulfilled and without censorship. She pointed out that she has 18-year-old friends who make their political decisions based on what their parents think because they have never been allowed to be informed and have their own political thoughts.
The teenager pointed out that the basis for forming this criterion must come from school. He indicated that the next government should propose reforms in education that promote training in civil and political rights.
In the country we need to remove the stigma that politics should not be discussed with children. It is something that should be done in school. Secondly, access to information should be easier for everyone,” he said.
Aaron said he would like to see greater transparency in the use of public resources. He said the next president should be honest about what he is investing in, how and how long that investment will take, and finally make public the results of that investment. He suggested that the next government should do a thorough analysis of the underlying crises in each sector before offering short-term solutions.
“The health situation is very complicated because it does not only require infrastructure or personnel. I would really say that before providing a solution, I think we need to analyze the problem because if we have a root problem, small actions will not solve it completely,” he added.
Regarding policies that could directly benefit children and adolescents, Aaron recommended incorporating sexual and reproductive education and mental health into the school system. He said that both topics are taboo in families and sometimes in schools, but that if they are unknown, they can seriously affect adolescents.
Children and adolescents agree that whoever is elected president after the July 28 vote has a long road ahead of them and they hope that in their administration they will not forget the population that has not yet reached the age of majority.
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2024-07-26 11:07:31
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