PARAGUAY: Proposal to ban informal workers from public spaces

Submitted by crinadmin on

Child rights NGOs in Paraguay have expressed concern about a proposed bill to “promote the elimination of groups of window cleaners and car watchmen from public areas.” The proposal, to be presented by Senator Alfredo Jaeggli, was reported by newspaper Última Hora.

Coordinadora por los Derechos de la Infancia y la Adolescencia (CDIA), a group of 25 child rights organisations, has slammed the bill as yet another move to criminalise poverty and persecute the victims of unemployment, saying the government should instead devise an appropriate public policy response.

The bill has not yet been presented before the Senate, however, according to Senator Jaeggli, it seeks to withdraw parental responsibility from the parents of children working on the street. CDIA has condemned the proposal as unconstitutional, saying that the government has not created viable alternatives for these children.

The group is concerned that the bill will lead to sweeps similar to those carried out in 2000 in which dozens of children were detained and separated from their families “in an abrupt and violent manner” and transferred to public and private halfway houses, many of which were not in a position to receive and maintain them adequately. The situation was reviewed by the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights which ruled the case (Cristina Aguayo and others v. Paraguay) admissible. Read more here.

In the light of these concerns, CDIA makes the following comments:

CDIA reminds the government that existing legislation clearly states that parental responsibility should not be withdrawn because of poverty.

CDIA discourages sending children to homes, saying that this contributes to family break-up. The appropriate response is, again, to invest in social programmes.

CDIA urges parliamentarians to invest more funds in projects for children and young people.

CDIA urges the authorities to encourage the organisation of people dedicated to looking after cars and cleaning windows in public areas to better understand their needs and improve their quality of life.

Further information

Country: 
Paraguay
Issues: 
Children working and living on the street

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