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Celebrating the reunion of a Salvadoran migrant girl with her grandmother in the City of Chihuahua
an article by Gloria Ramirez, Centro de Derechos Humanos de las Mujeres
The Mexican government granted a humanitarian visa to a little 8-
year old girl who was abused sexually during the voyage to meet her
mother in the United States. On May 12 at 4:00 in the afternoon, Ana
Girón, the girl's grandmother reclaimed her granddaughter, thanks to her
persistence and to the legal strategy of the Center of Human Rights of
Women (CEDEHM). Based on international treaties, the Center argued
before the migration authorities and the government of the state for the
superior interest of children, and they obtained permission for the
family reunification.
click on photo to enlarge
From
the 18 of April, the little girl had remained in the National Agency
for Family Development in the City of Chihuahua. She had tried to
arrive in the United States to meet with her mother, but during the
passage she was the victim of sexual abuse.
On May 4, Mrs Ana Girón, grandmother of the girl arrived at the
City of Chihuahua to initiate a fight that lasted 9 full days, to
reclaim her granddaughter. She insisted she would remain in front of
the palace of the government of the City of Chihuahua in her wheelchair
and that she would not leave without her granddaughter in her arms.
On May 12, Mrs Girón and members of the CEDEHM and JPNH
(JUSTICIA PARA NUESTRAS HIJAS) waited in front of the Government Palace
and managed to speak with Governor Caesar Duarte to ask for his
intervention in the case. Later that day, at a high-level meeting,
including state and federal officials, repesentatives of the National
Commission of Human Rights, the consul of El Salvador, as well as girl's
grandmother and her lawyer Lucha Castro, human rights advocates Gabino
Gómez, Juan Carlos Solís and Norma Ledezma requested the Mexican
Government to grant a humanitarian visa to the girl and release her to
the safekeeping of her grandmother.
The afternoon 12 of May gave reason for celebration. The
civil servants could not hide to their emotion, seeing the happiness of
the little girl when finally she could leave and embrace her
grandmother. The grandmother, now has the safekeeping of her
granddaughter and the young account with a humanitarian visa given by
Mexican government.
Attorney Lucha Castro indicated that when leaving “the girl ate
ice cream with her grandmother”. She recognized “the work carried out
by Mexico state to respond to the legitimate and just demands that we
realised”. She concluded: “This one is a great triumph, that was won by
to the persistent fight of the grandmother and the aunt Mónica. These
women came to the conclusion that they would never return without the
little girl. It is also a triumph of the civil society organizations of
Los Angeles, coordinated by the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights
of Los Angeles and by the Mexican Center of Human Rights of Women and
Justice For Our Daughters of Chihuahua, an international effort. We are
happy and confident that this case is a precedent to guarantee the
rights of other migrant children who will seek family reunification."
(Click here for a Spanish version of this article)
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DISCUSSION
Question(s) related to this article:
Protecting women and girls against violence
Are governments making progress?
Thematic forum(s) in which this article is being discussed:
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN - VIOLENCE CONTRE LES FEMMES
Latest reader comment:
Comment received from John in July, 2002
For
human development, women play an important role by transmitting their
knowledge to their children, helping themselves, and building society.
But economic hardship and brutality falls on women, children and the
elderly first. He thinks that Human Development Investments are key to
economic growth and the best way to achieve it is to lift people, women,
and children out of poverty by giving them access to food, medicine,
and education.
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This report was posted on May 17, 2011.
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