El Salvador - IOM last month participated in JUVENTOUR 2016, one of the most important gatherings of Central American youth, which provided a platform to promote migrant children and adolescents’ rights and to warn about the risks of irregular migration through the InformArte en Movimiento (Information on the Move) campaign.

JUVENTOUR is a fair, organized by the government of El Salvador’s National Youth Institute (INJUVE), for teenagers and young people to have access to health services through mobile clinics; HIV testing, preventive health activities, information on scholarships for technical and university studies; youth employment and young entrepreneurs fairs; services for the prevention of violence; as well as sports and artistic demonstrations. In addition, the private sector, civil society and international organizations participated.

IOM joined JUVENTOUR – along with United Nations agencies – with a booth where educational games focused on promoting migrant children and adolescents’ rights were developed. Also, for the second consecutive year, IOM invited people to write personal messages to prevent irregular migration. The messages were shared, via photographs, on IOM El Salvador’s social networks.

During the activities, IOM’s Chief of Mission to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, Jorge Peraza Breedy, welcomed the Director of INJUVE, Yeimy Muñoz, at IOM’s booth to discuss the importance of continuing to establish spaces in which Salvadoran youth can have access to information about the risks of irregular migration.

This event, promoted by the government as the largest youth festival in Latin America, was inaugurated by President Salvador Sanchez Ceren, at the International Centre for Fairs and Conventions (CIFCO). It is estimated that over the two days some 100,000 children and adolescents from different departments participated in JUVENTOUR.

For further information please contact: Alba Miriam Amaya at IOM El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, Tel: +503 2521 0556, Email: aamaya@iom.int