Barquisimeto 2011

Final declaration of the VIII Continental Meeting of the Movement of Working Children and Youth of Latin America and the Caribbean (MOLACNATs), Barquisimeto, Venezuela, 01 to 07 September 2011

Sample image.
(CC) Wikimedia Commons (edited)

We, the Working Children and Youth (NATs) of Latin America and the Caribbean, greet fraternally and sisterly, with passion and ethics, all persons and associations, especially all social movements, who, like us, have been fighting for a long time for the dignity and justice of people in the sense of a life in dignity.

MOLACNATs (Movement of the Working Children and Youth of Latin America and the Caribbean) is a body for the organisation, networking and protagonistic participation of the movements of the NATs in the different countries. It draws its inspiration from the ideas, the actions and reflections which have grown in our movement to a differentiated view on the work of the NATs which are directed against discrimination, exploitation and stigmatisation of all people.

On the occasion of the VIII. Meeting of the Working Children and Youth of Latin America and the Caribbean, the movements from Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guatemala and Mexico gathered in the city of Barquisimeto (Venezuela); as well as supporting organisations like ItaliaNATs, ProNATs, Save the Children, Terre des Hommes, Voix des enfants actifs, EuropaNATs, IFEJANT and INFANT, Prottetomondo Mlal.

During the meeting we exchanged information about the life realities of the NATs in the different countries. We focused on our experiences with organisational development in the last three years, from which our alternatives for the exercise of our rights result.

We would like to emphasize that during this meeting we had the opportunity for the first time to exchange solidarity with members of a progressive trade union in Venezuela, with whom we agreed that it is important to intensify our political connection in the struggle for the recognition of all workers.

We also worked intensively to revise the organisational structure of our movement and proposed some adjustments that will contribute to improved measures for strengthening our movement. According to this, the secretariat will be composed of a team of six people: four delegate NATs, a "colaborador" [adult collaborator] and an executive secretary. We also confirm Venezuela as the seat of the Secretariat for the next three years. We stipulate that the next meeting will take place in Paraguay in 2014.

The "Colaboradores", who met in a parallel meeting in the framework of our Congress, confirmed their intention to support the promotion of our rights. They confirmed the foundation of the Latin American Movement of "Colaboradores" of Working Children and Youth (MOLACOLNNATs), whose aims follow the guidelines and spirit of our movement.

Finally, the work plan for the next three years was drawn up, which contains four components of great importance:

  1. Area of Training: within the framework of the Latin American school of thought for working children and young people.
  2. Area of communication: through the revival of the MOLACNATs internet platform, the bulletin "AméricaNATs", the magazine "NATs" and other communication channels.
  3. Area of organisation: through the preparation of national plans, constant monitoring of the grassroots groups and on-site visits by members of the secretariat.
  4. Area of political influence and participation rights of children and young people: by conducting annual campaigns, the aim is to establish and intensify links with children and young people in rural and indigenous regions and with children and young people working as domestic helpers.

JOINTLY WE COMMIT OUR POWERS FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT AND RESPECT OF THE VOICE AND WORK OF NATs!

YES TO WORK IN DIGNITY AND NO TO EXPLOITATION!

Barquisimeto - Venezuela, 07 September 2011

Latinamerican delegates:

Romario Castillo & Yesmira Suri-Quispe (PERU – MNNATSOP)
Rodrigo Giménez & Felicia Cabrera (PARAGUAY – CONNATs)
Andrés Peña & Daniel Benítez (COLUMBIA – ONATsCOL)
Patricia Torres & Yeismarglis Pargas (VENEZUELA – CORENATs)
Henry Ruiz (GUATEMALA – ONNATs)
Manuel Álvarez (ECUADOR – ECUAVyFNATs)
Guillermo Mamani (BOLIVIA – UNATsBO)
Eduardo Hernández (MEXICO – MELEL XOJOBAL)
Lorena Luna (ARGENTINA – LA VELETA Y LA ANTENA)

Secretary of MOLACNATs:

Betzandra Gonzales (NATs secretary delegate)
Luis Alejandro Pérez (NATs secretary delegate)
Jesús Parra (Executive secretary)
Ángel González (Latin American collaborator)

Updated: 14.12.2020