Under-18 zone
Miryam speaks for indigenous children's rights
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| Miryam
Cunduri |
Miryam Cunduri, 11, lives in Providencia, a small village
in Chimborazo province in Ecuador. "My home is
close to one of the highest volcanoes of the world,
Chimborazo," she says. "It is beautiful. I
can see it every day." She lives with her mother,
Maria Manuela; her younger sister, Blanca Azucena; and
her baby brother, Joan Sebastian.
All the people in her community are indigenous people,
and are proud of their customs. Almost all of the families
work in agriculture and raise domestic cattle. Because
there is not enough work, some families have moved to
towns and cities. The majority of the village's children
cannot go to high school because their parents cannot
afford school supplies. Miryam is currently attending
the 5th grade of elementary school, along with her best
friend, Marcia.
When Miryam found out about the Parliament Organisation
of Indigenous Girls and Boys from Ecuador, she asked
her mother to help her learn more about it. Later, her
community sent her as the representative of the indigenous
children of Providencia. The First Parliament of Indigenous
Girls and Boys from Ecuador was held in August 2000
in the city of Riobamba. It was a very important gathering
for the indigenous children, with some 120 delegates
from across the country participating, with the support
of KNH Ecuador, a non-governmental organization. It
was during this event that Miryam learned about children's
rights.
Miryam was chosen to be the General Secretary of Culture
of the Parliament. Her responsibilities consisted of
promoting her culture together with that of the rest
of the country's children, to strengthen their identity
as part of a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic country
and to emphasize that all children have the same rights.
Miryam has participated in many events, including the
Parliament Regional del Centro and the National Congress
of Children and Young People of Ecuador. One of the
outcomes of the National Congress was a dialogue with
Ecuador's President, Gustavo Noboa.
Miryam was a delegate to the National Children's Assembly
for children and young people's rights, where she was
chosen to be the country's representative to the UN
Special Session on Children. She cares deeply about
the rights of girls and boys, particularly the rights
to education and protection against exploitation. She
travelled to New York in June 2001 to attend a preparatory
session for the Special Session.
At the Special Session she will participate in the
Children's Forum, which will bring together delegates
of governments and accredited non-governmental organizations
who are under 18 years of age. The Forum will give children
and young people an important opportunity to influence
the outcome document of the Special Session. "All
the topics that we're going to discuss are going to
be crucial for a better world, in which children must
be among the leading actors," says Miryam.
(Miryam's Special Session diaries are available
in Spanish.)
UNICEF supports the right of every child to be heard,
and therefore provides this opportunity for children
to voice their views and impressions of the United Nations
Special Session on Children. The report above reflects
the opinions of an individual child delegate to the
Special Session and does not represent the policies
or positions of UNICEF.
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