Present during the press conference were - Minister of Childhood and Adolescent Liz Torres, Unicef Representative Carlos Mazuera, CDIA representative Roberto Stark, Country Director of Christian Children’ Fund of Canada Cynthia Eguez, and the representative of the Children and Adolescent Platform Diego Guanes.

"This is the opportunity to grow", is the motto of the annual Rights of Children and Adolescents campaign, which began August 5th, 2010.

Nonprofit organizations, Plan, Save the Children, CDIA, Unicef and Christian Children's Fund of Canada have all come together to increase awareness of children's rights and related issues in Paraguay.

During this month talks on drug prevention aimed at adolescents in schools, training workshops on rights and recreational events are just some of the activities planned to run throughout the month of August. These activities were specifically designed to address the recommendations made to Paraguay by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the first legally binding international instrument to incorporate the full range of human rights—civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. CRC is a body of independent experts that monitor the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by its State parties. States parties to the Convention are obliged to develop and undertake all actions and policies in the light of the best interests of the child. The CRC evaluates each country every 5 years and sends their comments and recommendations to each country.

NGO representatives present during the campaign launch and press conference acknowledged the efforts made by the Paraguayan State in recent years to improve the allocation of resources for children. However, the Committee also expressed concern regarding lack of funds and recommended an increase of financial support. The Committee also proposed improvements be made in the area of gathering reliable statistical information and data as well as improvements to monitoring the outcome of each campaign. Challenges around the Protection and Security System for Children were also noted as a concern.

For more information on this campaign please visit http://semanaxlosderechos.wordpress.com/ (Spanish)