FMSI and Marist community promote access to human rights

FMSI, together with the Marist community in Bolivia and thanks to the support of Misean Cara, is currently implementing a Project in Bolivia with the aim of improving access to Human Rights by monitoring the implementation of the UPR recommendations on gender-based violence and child labor, as well as on the children right to participate.

The Project is conceived as the follow up to the one run by FMSI, CCIG, ERI in Bolivia in 2018-2019. They jointly drafted a UPR submission after having identified 3 specific issues pertaining to children’s rights in Bolivia (Participation and empowerment of young people in the decision-making processes, child labor and sexual violence against children and adolescents) and 1 specific issue pertaining to women’s rights (Violence Against Women). The current proposal, indeed, aims at scaling-up and further improving the situation of women and children in Bolivia, through an effective implementation of Universal Periodic Review (UPR)’s and Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC)’s recommendations.

FMSI, CCIG and the Marist Brothers in Bolivia propose a new project that focuses, specifically, on child and youth participation, gender violence and child labor. This proposal will focus on change Bolivian civil society being empowered to address human rights violations and assess government compliance in human rights obligations. Thanks to the Project vulnerable groups among women and children will be more aware of their rights and better prepared to defend them.

To meet these results, a set of activities will be implemented, including: an on-line course on how to follow up on UPR and CRC recommendations; the creation of a group of civil society organizations leading the monitoring activity; a training cycle for youth on the right to participation; awareness raising events on child rights advocacy using social media; collection of quantitative and qualitative data on child labor; education spaces to empower child workers to defend their rights and make their voices heard; workshops to prevent gender violence and empower victims to seek justice; informative sessions on National Law 348/2013 (violence against women).