Mexico, “Little Amal” is a puppet representing a Syrian refugee girl

teleSUR English

*Exhibition is a testimony of the defense of human rights *Data show that the country is one of the main recipients of asylum *applications for refugees *Passage of “Little Amal” seeks to generate solidarity and compassion *There are 123 million forcibly displaced people in the world today

Transcript

00:00In Mexico, a young puppet known as Little Amal, that became a symbol of refugee children,

00:06will exhibit part of her journey through Latin America in a photographic exhibition at the

00:11Open Gallery of Chupultepec Forest.

00:13Our correspondent Antonio Aranda gave us the details of the following report.

00:21The condition of migrant or refugee is not a crime, but a human circumstance, is one

00:26of the messages of Little Amal.

00:28The three and a half meter high puppet that represents a Syrian refugee girl.

00:33Amal's strength is that she is very visible because she is such a tall puppet, but she

00:39is a child.

00:41So she brings a message of peace that is like saying, I didn't do anything to find myself

00:45in this situation.

00:47I am in a situation of separation from my parents.

00:49I am in a situation of having come out of a war.

00:52I am looking for peace and I am looking to build my life and I am looking for a safe

00:56environment.

00:57That is the message of Amal.

01:02The exhibition The Journey of Little Amal Through Mexico shows her journey through seven

01:06cities in the country where she brought a testimony of the defense of human rights,

01:10especially those of children.

01:14I believe that today more than ever there needs to be possibilities of response, of

01:18protection, of integration and of offering people the opportunity to rebuild their lives

01:23if they cannot stay in their countries of origin.

01:27UN data indicate that in recent years Mexico has been among the countries with the highest

01:35number of asylum requests for refugees and the government's policy is to offer them

01:39dignified places to stay.

01:46We have designed a strategy that will allow us to ensure that people coming from other

01:49countries to the city do not have to be on the streets of the city as they are today.

01:59The pass of little Amal through our country seeks to generate solidarity and compassion

02:05towards those who have had to leave their places of origin.

02:11The fact that Amal was able to be here in Mexico helped to raise awareness about this

02:15migration issue and the fact that through a figure like a nine-year-old girl the vulnerability

02:24she represents and how she was received in Mexico has been great.

02:33Data from the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, indicate that there are 123 million forcibly displaced

02:40people in the world.

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