As Colombia and Mexico mark national Children’s Days this month, ELLIS HEASLEY, of UK-based religious freedom advocacy CSW, says it’s time for action ensure all children in those countries have the fundamental right to religious freedom without fear of harassment, intimidation or discrimination…
Later this month, both Colombia and Mexico will celebrate their national Children’s Days, but many children in these countries, particularly those belonging to religious minorities, face intolerance and discrimination due to their religious beliefs, or those of their parents.
In Colombia, Children’s Day falls on 24th April, with the theme “Play and share with joy”. For many, however, this day will be tinged with sadness and fear, as insecurity and violence persist across the country despite the signing of a long-awaited peace agreement between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP) in November, 2016.
A boy waits for churros. PICTURE: Supplied by CSW.
Violations of the right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) in Colombia take two main forms: those perpetrated by illegal armed groups, often specifically targeting religious leaders, human rights defenders, and their families; including children and young people who are forcibly recruited by these groups, and violations against religious minorities belonging to Indigenous groups. Indigenous children are often affected, particularly at school.
Members of Indigenous communities who convert away from the religious beliefs and practices promoted by their leaders are typically subjected to harsh treatment within their communities. Often, they are threatened with forcible displacement, or being excluded from receiving certain benefits by Indigenous authorities. For an Indigenous child, forced displacement means growing up disconnected from their culture, language and history and a much higher likelihood that they will live in extreme poverty.
“For an Indigenous child, forced displacement means growing up disconnected from their culture, language and history and a much higher likelihood that they will live in extreme poverty.”
Despite strong protections for FoRB in the Colombian constitution and in international treaties that Colombia has signed up to, Colombian courts have ruled that these rights do not extend to those living on Indigenous lands where collective cultural rights take precedence.
These rulings have allowed hostilities to permeate educational settings within these communities. In some Indigenous reserves, religious minority children suffer daily discrimination because the school curriculum is designed to comply with traditional beliefs alone. There are also several obligatory ‘traditional’ subjects which religious minority children have no option to opt out of.
In one case known to CSW, a religious minority schoolgirl in the Department of Cauca faced severe obstacles in enrolling in her local school because of her beliefs. Even after she had been accepted for entry to the school, she faced intense discrimination at the hands of her own teachers, who would force her to do more work than her classmates in order to pass her classes.
A similar story is true for religious minority children in Mexico, where Children’s Day falls on 30th April. As in Colombia, violations of the right to FoRB are particularly common in Mexico’s Indigenous communities where the Law of Uses and Customs is in effect. This law gives significant autonomy to Indigenous communities to govern themselves according to social and cultural norms. It is meant to be exercised in line with human rights guarantees in the Mexican constitution, but in practice this is not enforced. Instead, it is often used by members of the majority religious group to mandate community uniformity and to compel all members of the community to participate in the religious activities of the majority.
When religious minorities refuse to participate, local leaders often strip them of basic services, including education, by barring their children from attending school. This is the case in the Coamila and Rancho Nuevo communities in Hidalgo State, where at least 38 children have been denied access to state education since 2018 when they were prevented from registering at the local school because their parents had not contributed financially to the majority religion’s local festivals.
In some of the most extreme cases, pressure on religious minorities in Indigenous communities can lead to their forcible displacement from their homes and villages. Children are invariably affected when this happens. As is the case in Colombia, forced displacement for an Indigenous child in Mexico can mean growing up disconnected from their culture, language and history as well as a much higher likelihood that they will live in extreme poverty.
Even after forced displacement, religious minority Indigenous children can find their access to education blocked. Due to the circumstances of their displacement, which often involves violence and destruction of property, many lack the paperwork necessary to enrol in a school in their new place of residence and they are unable to return to their community to obtain the documents. Without these, they are often turned away by school and government officials and deprived of their right to an education as a result.
“Steps must be taken to ensure that children of all religions and beliefs in Colombia and Mexico are free to fully enjoy the fundamental right to FoRB without fear of harassment, intimidation or discrimination in educational settings and beyond.”
That’s exactly what happened to Alma, a schoolgirl CSW met with in 2018 after she and her family had been forcibly displaced from their village in Bolaños Municipality, Jalisco state, in December, 2017. Alma and her family were targeted along with around 60 others specifically because they did not belong to the majority religious group. When she spoke to us, she asked: “Why does my faith mean I can’t go to school?”
Steps must be taken to ensure that children of all religions and beliefs in Colombia and Mexico are free to fully enjoy the fundamental right to FoRB without fear of harassment, intimidation or discrimination in educational settings and beyond.
This is something that we can pray about, asking God to touch the hearts of those in authority so that they are moved to act on this issue. You can also write a note or a card of encouragement to some of the families who face expulsion from their local communities on account of their religion or belief using CSW’s Connect and Encourage resource, and share a prayer or Bible verse with a child who needs to know that they are part of a global church family who are praying for them.
Ellis Heasley is public affairs officer at UK-based religious freedom advocacy CSW.
