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Article

30 Mar 2016

Author:
Ciara Long, Rio on Watch

Brazil: Street children demand respect for their rights during Olympics preparations, including right to be consulted on plans affecting their communities

“Street Children Demand Respect for Human Rights Before Rio 2016 Olympics”, 24 March 2016

...“The whole time that I’ve been out in the streets, I haven’t been able to see any respect to...the rights of all of those who are out in the streets.”...[ Luana, 17, during the General Assembly for Street Children]...[on 18]...March...at the Copacabana Palace Hotel...[The event]...was part of a week-long campaign launch by international NGOs Street Child United and Terre des Hommes..., led by former street children and grassroots NGOs in nine countries, asserts the human rights of street children and advocates the need for special protection in the lead-up to mega-sporting events. Research from Terre des Hommes’ campaign Children Win demonstrates that street children face an increased risk of human rights violations as host cities prepare to host mega-events, including forced evictions in communities such as Vila Autódromo and Favela do Metrô ahead of Rio’s Games. The report also examines Rio’s ‘street cleaning,’ or ‘social cleansing,’...that placed street youths like Luana in juvenile detention centers before the 2014 FIFA World Cup...In addition to competing in Olympic-style events over the course of the week, Luana and the other former street-connected children collaborated to write an open letter to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) demanding that the rights of street children become a priority for mega-event host cities...“Children are more vulnerable, and...impacted by things like forced evictions...In the proposal for the new upgrading plan for Vila Autódromo, Eduardo Paes didn’t consult with locals, much less with the children...From a child’s rights perspective, he would need to talk to the kids and get their views on the proposal, in addition to (adult) locals.”...[Andrea Florence, Terre des Hommes]...