¡Que vivan los derechos humanos!

By Alisha & Micah

In commemoration of this month's 60th anniversary of the UN's Human Rights Declaration, we had a parade! There is a NGO in Chota that works to promote human rights and access to the justice system in rural areas. This organization along with other organizations in Chota sponsored the parade.

The slogan on the poster (pictured above) is "I can't wait 60 more years for my rights," so we wanted to share some information about human rights in Peru.

• The country as a whole is still coming to terms with the violence of the internal conflict between the Maoist terrorist group Shining Path and government military forces. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission found evidence of human rights violations on both sides of the conflict.
  
• Access to quality public education, especially in rural areas, is severely lacking.
• 15% of children and adolescents don't have any form of identification documents .
• Indigenous communities are constantly marginalized and ignored by the government, especially in terms of land rights as mining is taking on more importance in mountainous regions. This is a very controversial issue because while mining creates economic opportunities and stimulation, many rural and indigenous populations argue that the mines are detrimental to the environment and traditional ways of life.