Children’s Day is celebrated on April 30 in Mexico, and so the team at Asylum Access Mexico’s Hospitality Route invited children connected to the program to draw their favorite thing in the world and send us a photo.
You can take a look below at a selection of the many wonderful drawings we received, with lots of pictures featuring pets and animals, beautiful landscapes, and great days out eating fresh fruit. Our team was really impressed and we definitely share many of the same favorite things!
Advancing the rights of refugee children in Mexico
Since Asylum Access Mexico‘s founding in 2015, Mexico has seen a significant increase in the number of people seeking asylum, including child refugees who arrive with their families or by themselves.
When a child refugee arrives to a new country, they need stability and support to process the difficult experience of forced displacement and return as swiftly as possible to the important experiences of being a kid: learning, making friends and playing.
Asylum Access Mexico supports both accompanied and unaccompanied child refugees through the asylum process, helping them get the important documentation they need to be able to enroll in school and access their rights. The team also works closely with immigration and child protection agencies in the country to ensure that the rights of refugee children are observed and protected.
More recently, Asylum Access Mexico worked with other civil society partners to close a loophole in Mexican law that had allowed the detention of child migrants and refugees to continue. Thankfully, the Mexican Senate unanimously agreed to close the loophole and as a result, the state is obliged to place all child refugees in community-based living arrangements. Asylum Access Mexico is now working to ensure that the government complies with this obligation.
The Hospitality Route
Established by Asylum Access Mexico, The Hospitality Route is a network of organizations that support refugees’ access to healthcare, education and employment through the provision of services at little or no cost as well as job opportunities.
The Hospitality Route supports many children and teenagers to continue their education, benefit from scholarships, and access psycho-social support.
Children’s Day serves as an important reminder of the rights that all children are entitled to and our obligation to uphold their rights so that they can continue to enjoy their childhood.
