The children of Chequenco begin school year in Chile as in state of siege. Chile, March 3, 2013

By Elena Urrutia March 3, 2013

PUBLIC CALL TO ACT AGAINST POLICE VIOLENCE TO THE MAPUCHE AND NON-MAPUCHE CHILDREN

To all NGOs for human rights and children's rights, UNICEF, International Red Cross, NHRI, to President Sebastian Piñera:

Daily the pickup trucks of the police roam with police armed with shotguns. At extreme speeds and pointing at citizens who drive on the street. The police helicopters naturally abound.

The families are very concerned about this excessive exaggerated and irresponsible acting of the Chilean state police, mainly for the children and they wonder who ensures the lives of their children when they head to school.

This systematic harassment of the Chilean state, in addition to violating the rights of the children, is a high risk mainly for the littlest ones who just begin their first year.

A barbarism which no longer can be tolerated, children should have the security to develop physically and emotionally without endangering their lives. Wherever they may be and being the children that they are we must respect their rights at least for the sake of ethics.    

That is why we are calling on all human rights and childrens rights organizations, on Mr. Sebastian Piñera to end the terror unfounded to the children and for the withdrawal of the police forces from the Mapuche communities. We request explicitly the end of the police harassment in Chequenco and an official clarification of these surveillance measures. We demand the safety of the lives of the children. 

We call on all well thinking people, on the social and political organizations to intervene urgently and responsibly to end the police violence against the Mapuche children.

Elena Urrutia, March 3, 2013

Kulturverein Maricheweu für die Menchenrechte der Mapuche, Germany

http://maricheweu-kulturverein.blogspot.de/2013/03/los-ninos-de-chequenco-en-chile.html