The Prime Minister of Grenada, Honorable Dr. Keith Mitchell, presented the Call to Action during the 35th Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Conference of Heads of Government held in Antigua and Barbuda from 1-4 July 2014. He urged the Heads of State of the Caribbean region to commit to ending the placement of children under three years of age in residential care institutions. The Heads of Government received and supported the submission.
In line with the UN Guidelines on Alternative Care, the Call to Action urges Governments in Latin America and the Caribbean to reaffirm their commitment to the protection of children without parental care, and in particular, to end the placement of children under three years old in institutions. A similar Call to Action was launched for the Latin American countries during the Ibero-American Summit of Heads of States celebrated in Panama in October 2013.
The Call to action to end the placement of children under three years old in residential care is driven by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), Global Movement for Children – Latin America and the Caribbean (MMI-CLAC), the Latin American Network of Foster Care (RELAF), the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General on Violence against Children, UNICEF, and now CARICOM.
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