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Summary: The Second World Congress on Children's and Young People's Rights opened this morning in Lima, Peru. Among the participants are government ministers, representatives of NGOs and some 415 children from Latin America, Africa and Europe. They are meeting over five days to discuss and exchange experiences about children and young people's right to citizenship, emphasising the importance of their active participation.
[LIMA, 21 November 2005] - The Second World Congress on Children's and Young People's Rights opened this morning in Lima. Among the participants are government ministers, representatives of NGOs and some 600 children from 21 countries in Latin America, Africa and Europe. They will meet over five days to discuss and exchange experiences about children and young people's right to citizenship, emphasising the importance of their active participation. A congress composed entirely of children and young people will run parallel to the adults' conference. The aim of the Congress is to analyse citizenship from a child rights perspective and come up with concrete actions and policies at a global level, which encourage children to participate and exercise their right to citizenship and to have their opinion taken into account in all decisions that affect them as set out in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. A children's representative who spoke at the opening of the Congress emphasised that this week's discussions are the product of two years' work carried out since the First World Congress on Children's and Young People's Rights, which took place in 2003 in Venezuela. She said that there have been 10 pre-Congress meetings in which children and young people gathered in different countries across Latin America. She ended by saying that they believed that "Another world, a fairer, more democratic world, is not possible without the participation of children and young people." The Congress was officially opened by Ana Maria Romero, the Minister for Women and Social Development of Peru. She spoke of some of the obstacles that children in Peru face to enjoying their rights and drew parallels with other countries. One of the main problems is child malnutrition and the high levels of inequality which particularly affect marginalised indigenous groups in the Amazonian region because of widespread and continued discrimination. She talked about the practical actions the Peruvian government has taken to combat this problem such as a nutrition programme for all children between six months and nine years. She emphasised the importance of extending this help to mothers so as to put an end to the cycle of poverty and discrimination. She also spoke of children's right to identity. In Peru an estimated 15 per cent of children are not registered at birth and do not possess any identification documents. As a result, they are at a greater risk of suffering discrimination. The Peruvian government has implemented a programme called "My Name" to promote awareness and build a Peru in which no Peruvian is excluded. She commented that two million children work in Peru, most of them in dangerous and exploitative conditions. Peru has ratified the ILO Conventions 128 and 182 on Child Labour, but Romero spoke of the need to promote conditions which contribute to the full development of the child. Finally, she spoke about the growing problem of the commercial sexual exploitation of children. Despite having signed international conventions to prevent this phenomenon, she emphasised the importance of prevention through information. She ended by calling on everyone present to join forces to help children and young people enjoy their rights and create a fairer, more developed and more democratic society.