El Salvador not signing international agreement on rights of youth

The Ibero-American summit of heads of state which takes place this week in El Salvador has the theme "Youth and Development." The presence of the summit in El Salvador has brought the focus to El Salvador's refusal to sign the Ibero-American Convention on the Rights of Youth.

The Convention, which has already been signed by 18 of the 22 member countries of the Ibero-American Community, contains 44 articles promoting the rights of young people in areas such as health, sexuality, work, education and culture, through the implementation of public policies. For more information, review the text of the Convention (in Spanish) or the related website.

El Salvador has not signed the convention, claiming conflicts with its constitution, according to this article from the IPS news service:
According to Luis Salazar, associate ombudsman for the rights of children and adolescents, the government's arguments against signing the Convention "are absurd," and can be put to rest by the country registering its reservations, as provided in Article 40 of the document.

"The rejection of the Convention by the Catholic Church definitely carries more weight than the arguments put forward by the government," Salazar said. "That is the real reason" the government will not accept it, he argued.

Both Saca and Argueta have said they will not sign the Convention because Article 12, and others, run counter to the Salvadoran constitution, by granting persons between the ages of 18 and 30 the right to refuse compulsory military service on the grounds of conscientious objection.

But this is a confusing argument, since the 1992 peace agreement that put an end to El Salvador’s 12-year civil war abolished obligatory conscription, according to analysts.

In recent weeks the Archbishop of San Salvador, Fernando Sáenz Lacalle, who belongs to the most conservative wing of the Catholic Church, has declared himself against the signing of the Convention, saying that part of its contents are harmful to society, such as the articles that support the right to sex education, and to choose a partner freely.(more)

Comments

Anonymous said…
RE: El Salvador not signing yet another international agreement.

In the words Captain Renault in Casablanca: "I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nM_A4Skusro
El-Visitador said…
Oh this is rich.

How can anyone from the States even remotely complain about this? The US hasn't ratified, for instance, the "Convention on the Rights of the Child."

And for good reason: it is a Socialist trap and it would be inconstitutional in the the USA.

Among other Socialist utopias, this absurd "youth" "treaty" literally states that "youths have the right to choose their educational center." The right. Youths can then choose Massachusetts Hall, Cambridge, MA (Harvard University) and if El Salvador signs this, the government is legally bound to let anyone under 25 attend. Come on! Sheer stupidity!

Other rights under this wishy washy Socialist agenda: the right to peace. As if. The prohibition of death penalty. Wait till a 24 yr-old "youth" rapes and kills your daughter, and then we can talk about that. Right to education. Cool! You can be 24 and don't have to work, because now there is a mandate for the Gubm't to pay your education even if graduate or post-graduate or redundant or whatever. Stanford or whatever party school, here I come, courtesy of the Salvadorean taxpayer.

Yet we Salvadoreans are supposed to swallow these booby traps line, hook and sinker?

Please.
Tim said…
I can criticize both the US and El Salvador at the same time -- I do it all the time. You're right EV -- it's shameful that the US and Somalia are the only 2 countries which have not ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Anonymous said…
Hoy 31/10/2008

Mauricio Funes en Conferencia Magistral en Universidad Francisco Gavidia "Políticas de Educación Superior y las Incidencias en los Jóvenes de El Salvador"

Lugar: Auditorio Mario Antonio Ruiz, Universidad Francisco Gavidia

Hora: 5:00pm

Nuestro candidato y próximo presidente de la República Mauricio Funes participará de la Conferencia Magistral más la presentación del Plan de Gobierno Nace la esperanza y viene el cambio.
Kadmiel said…
I do wish the government would focus more on early education and training for younger adults. to help them provide an alternative other then running in a gang :(
Anonymous said…
Guys, wtf, of course the salvy government would not support this.
It would get in the way of digital fingerprinting and eyescanning the multitudes of youth the PNC digitally categorize on a daily basis in Soyapango Delgado, etc for being "suspect ms13 etc.

I mean, hell, we gotta keep fear in the hearts and minds of the pueblo!@