WASHINGTON, DC – The Organization of American States (OAS) says Trinidadian Ronia Swan was the only person from the Caribbean to win the Youth Essay Contest on human rights.
Ronia SwanEarlier this week, the OAS said the winners read their essays virtually and this was broadcast from the Hall of the Americas at the OAS headquarters here.
Swan’s essay was on “Advancing Human Rights for Women and Girls in Trinidad & Tobago”.
The other winners were from Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico.
The OAS said it organized the contest in coordination with the Permanent Missions of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Panama, Peru, United States and Uruguay “to engage youth in describing the everyday impact of international instruments on advancing and promoting human rights.”
The essays covered freedom of expression and assembly; rights of persons with disabilities; rights of women and girls; rights of LGBTQI+; indigenous peoples; sexual and reproductive health; afro-descendants; rights of migrants; and rights of older persons.
The OAS said a total of 75 entries were received from 15 countries. An international panel—composed of representatives from the OAS Secretariat of Access to Rights and Equity and OAS Permanent Missions of Canada and the United States—judged the entries for relevance to the specific topics and novel approaches to problem-solving.
The winners were Antonella Perez and Carla Zapata (Argentina); Jenny del Mar Lozano Mosquera (Colombia); Yairy Vega Muenala (Ecuador); and Rosario Edith Mendoza (Mexico).
The OAS said the Essay Contest was part of its extensive efforts to engage youth in support of Human Rights Day, and to encourage their participation in the formulation of ideas and recommendations regarding people in situations of vulnerability in the Americas, including the Caribbean.
Other key regional actors that promote the human rights of young people, as highlighted in materials displayed at the OAS Main Building, included the Young Americas Business Trust (YABT); the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF); the Inter-American Institute of the Child (IIN; and the US State Department, through the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI).
