Whether you sleep in a homeless shelter, trailer home, a one bedroom apartment with five roommates, or a sprawling mansion, it is easy to forget the less fortunate, and there are always people less fortunate than most Americans. Currently, there are at approximately fifteen thousand migrants under the age of eighteen held in customs facilities meant to house four thousand.
This week, thanks to a surprise inspection, a little more light has been shined on the continuing cruelties suffered at the hands of Trump’s administration.
The separation of children from their parents continues, and these children not only suffer the emotional abuse of that separation, but they suffer physical hardships due to housing conditions that would outrage animal welfare groups.
We’ve read stories of children drugged into submission after being separated from their parents; children denied their prescribed medication, widespread flu outbreaks in several facilities; and children as young as eight have been caring for sick babies.
Immigrant children still being drugged at shelter despite judge’s order, lawyers say – Reveal
Thousands of cases of sexual abuse have been reported, which likely continues, as there are no background checks on those who work with these children.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/27/us/immigrant-children-sexual-abuse.html
Hundreds of children are missing because no records were kept, and some children have been adopted out after having been taken from their parents, some via an organization affiliated with Betsy Devos.
Migrant Children Are Being Given To An Adoption Agency Linked To Betsy DeVos
Detention centers that house migrant children provide nothing for basic hygiene: like soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and diapers. Babies wear their soiled clothes, and all detainees are living in filth.
What the children are provided with is an aluminum foil blanket to keep them warm in rooms that are intentionally kept cold, to deter the spread of disease.
The cells have concrete floors on which they live, sleep, and, in some cases, die. They are fed spoiled food. Lights are kept on bright 24/7.
The day Trump was sworn into office, America lost it’s humanity.
If you look at social media, it is easy to see the misinformation warfare underway, sowing discord, instigating various arguments in defense of this neglect.
Why don’t all the concerned libs pay for toothpaste, toothbrushes, and soap, if it’s so important?
There are efforts underway to do just that. There have been Go Fund Me accounts opened, with monetary goals reached within hours. The plans are to spend thousands of dollars on essential toiletries and deliver them to various detention centers. But the good Samaritans phone calls are not returned, so they have no verification that the items will be accepted.
Money to fund these items isn’t the issue— well it is, but not about money in the way you think.
Taxpayers are already doling out $775 per person per day, to privately owned detention centers. The money is certainly enough to cover the cost of toiletries and food.
So, why isn’t it? Because this is a money-making scheme. More money is made when more migrants are detained for more extended periods. Trump appointees run the facilities, and they’re pocketing tax funds while neglecting the basic care of the prisoners. Prisoners have more rights than these detained migrants.
Let’s be clear, aside from fraud, these are crimes against humanity. The goings on in these concentration camp’s are the definition of “crimes against humanity:
” A deliberate act, typically as part of a systematic campaign, that causes human suffering or death on a large scale.
’he was handed over to the International Criminal Court in The Hague to face charges of crimes against humanity.’”
This is how much it costs to detain an immigrant in the US
Members of Congress attempting to see for themselves what is happening inside these facilities are turned away; however, Homeland Security Inspectors did some unannounced pop-ins at four detention centers. They described ”egregious violations,” including nooses in cells, staff serving spoiled food and people put in isolation without cause.
Since Trump took office, 24 migrants have died in custody, four more shortly after being released. Since December, six children have died in US custody, and there may be more as yet unreported.
Spoiled food and nooses in cells found at US migrant detention centres
The law doesn’t allow parents to mistreat their children the way government sanctioned facilities are abusing migrant children.
It has become clear that our political system has rendered even the most compassionate of politicians powerless. Democrats are at the mercy of Mitch McConnell, who makes no effort to disguise his lack of empathy.
It’s time for the United Nations to step in to rescue migrant children from Trump’s policies. The United States is in clear violation of United Nations doctrines.
UNICEF
United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund.
Purpose. According to its mission statement, ‘UNICEF is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs, and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential.’ Jan 13, 2015
UNICEF works in more than 190 countries and territories to save and protect children. Polio remains endemic in just three countries: Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan. Immunization programs in 2017 reached one hundred twenty-three million children.
Children in custody of the United States government have never required outside intervention, but it’s clear they do now.
Trump’s administration violates most of the 42 rights of a child listed by UNICEF.
THE FOLLOWING IS FROM unicef.org:
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most widely ratified convention in history.
Every child has rights
A human rights treaty which sets out the civil, political, economic, social, health, and cultural rights of children.
ARTICLE 1
Be Recognized
A child is recognized as a person under the age of 18 unless national laws know an earlier age of majority.
ARTICLE 2
Non-discrimination
All rights apply to all children without exception. It is the State’s obligation to protect children from any form of discrimination and to take positive action to promote their rights.
ARTICLE 3
Adequate care
A child is recognised as a person under the age of 18, unless national laws recognise an earlier age of majority.
ARTICLE 4
Implementation of these rights
The State must do all it can to implement the rights contained in the Convention.
ARTICLE 5
Parental guidance
The State must respect the rights and responsibilities
of parents and the extended family to provide guidance for the child that is appropriate to her or his evolving capacities.
ARTICLE 6
Life
Every child has the inherent right to life, and the State has an obligation to ensure the child’s survival and development.
ARTICLE 7
A name and nationality
The child has the right to a name at birth. The child also has the right to acquire a nationality and, as far as possible, to know his or her parents and be cared for by them.
ARTICLE 8
Identity protection
The State has an obligation to protect and, if necessary, re-establish basic aspects of
the child’s identity. This includes name, nationality and family ties.
ARTICLE 9
Live with their parents
The child has a right to live with his or her parents unless this is deemed incompatible with the child’s best interests. The child also has the right to maintain contact with both parents if separated from one or both.
ARTICLE 10
Family reunification
Children and their parents have the right to leave any country and to enter their own for purposes of reunion or the maintenance of the child-parent relationship.
ARTICLE 11
Freedom from kidnapping
The State has an obligation to prevent and remedy the kidnapping or retention abroad of children by a parent or third party.
ARTICLE 12
Freedom of opinion
The child has the right to express his or her opinion freely and to have that opinion taken into account in any matter or procedure affecting the child.
ARTICLE 13
Freedom of expression
The child has the right to express his or her views, obtain information and make ideas or information known, regardless of frontiers.
ARTICLE 14
Freedom of thought
The State shall respect the child’s right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, subject to appropriate parental guidance.
ARTICLE 15
Freedom of association
Children have a right to meet with others, and to join or form associations.
ARTICLE 16
Protection of privacy
Children have the right to protection from interference with their privacy, family, home and correspondence, and to protection from libel or slander.
ARTICLE 17
Access information
The State shall ensure the accessibility to children of information and material from a diversity of sources, and it shall encourage the mass media to disseminate information that is of social and cultural benefit to the child, and take steps to protect him or her from harmful materials.
ARTICLE 18
Be raised by their parents
Parents have joint primary responsibility for raising the child, and the State shall support them in this. The State shall provide parents with appropriate child-rearing assistance.
ARTICLE 19
Freedom from abuse
The State shall protect the child from all forms of maltreatment by parents or others responsible for the child’s care and shall establish appropriate social programmes for the prevention of abuse and the treatment of victims.
ARTICLE 20
Alternative care
The State is obliged to provide special protection for a child deprived of the family environment and to ensure that appropriate alternative family care or institutional placement is available in such cases. Efforts to meet this obligation shall pay due regard to the child’s cultural background.
ARTICLE 21
Safe adoption
In countries where adoption in recognised and/or allowed, it shall be carried out only in the best interests of the child, and then only with the authorisation of competent authorities and safeguards for the child.
ARTICLE 22
Refugee protection
Special protection shall be granted to a refugee child or to a child seeking refugee status. It is the State’s obligation to cooperate with competent organisations that provide such protection and assistance.
ARTICLE 23
Special disability care
A disabled child has the right to special care, education and training to help him or her enjoy a full and decent life in dignity and achieve the greatest degree of self-reliance and social integration possible.
ARTICLE 24
Health services
The child has a right to the highest standard of health and medical care attainable. States shall place special emphasis on the reduction of infant and child mortality and on the provision of primary and preventive healthcare and of public health education.
ARTICLE 25
Review of placement
A child who is placed by the State for reasons of care, protection or treatment is entitled to have that placement evaluated regularly.
ARTICLE 26
Social security
The child has the right to benefit from social security, including social insurance.
ARTICLE 27
A standard of living
Every child has the right to a standard of living adequate for his or her physical, mental, spiritual, moral and social development.
ARTICLE 28
An education
The child has a right to education, and the State’s duty is to ensure that primary education is free and compulsory.
ARTICLE 29
Personal development
Education shall aim at developing the child’s personality, talents and mental and physical abilities to the fullest extent.
ARTICLE 30
Their own culture
Children of minority communities and indigenous populations have the right to enjoy their own culture and to practise their own religion and language.
ARTICLE 31
Leisure and play
The child has the right to leisure, play and participation in cultural and artistic activities.
ARTICLE 32
Freedom from child labour
The child has the right to be protected from work that threatens his or her health, education or development. The State shall set minimum ages for employment and shall regulate working conditions.
ARTICLE 33
Protection from drug abuse
Children have the right to protection from the use of narcotic and psychotropic drugs, and from being involved in their production or distribution.
ARTICLE 34
Freedom from sexual exploitation
The State shall protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse, including prostitution and involvement in pornography.
ARTICLE 35
Freedom from human trafficking
It is the State’s obligation to make every effort to prevent the sale, trafficking and abduction of children
ARTICLE 36
Freedom from exploitation
The child has the right to protection from all forms of exploitation prejudicial to any aspects of the child’s welfare not covered in articles 32–35.
ARTICLE 37
Freedom from torture
No child shall be subjected to torture, cruel treatment or punishment, unlawful arrest or deprivation of liberty. Both capital punishment and life imprisonment without the possibility for release are prohibited for offences committed by persons below age 18.
ARTICLE 38
Protection from conflict
States shall take all feasible measures to ensure that children under 15 years of age have no direct part in hostilities. No child below 15 shall be recruited into the armed forces.
ARTICLE 39
Rehabilitative care
The State has an obligation to ensure that child victims of armed conflicts, torture, maltreatment or exploitation receive appropriate treatment for their recovery and social reintegration.
ARTICLE 40
Juvenile justice
A child in conflict with the law has the right to treatment that promotes the child’s sense of dignity and worth, takes the child’s age into account and aims at his or her defence
ARTICLE 41
Relevant higher national standards
If a country has laws and standards that go further than the present Convention, then the country must keep these laws.
ARTICLE 42
Knowledge of these rights
Governments must actively work to make sure children and adults know about the Convention.
ARTICLE 43 – 54
Input from adults and governments
Items 43 – 54 are about how adults and governments must work together to make sure all children can enjoy all their rights.
Six migrant children have died in U.S. custody. Here’s what we know about them
The United Nations must take action.
A lot from Lydia 