At Risk Children Dance for Social Change

The response of Enlaces' children to the serious global situation of migrant children and refugees.

According to data from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), it is estimated that there are 6.3 million migrant children and adolescents in the Americas alone.

In their path, many face deadly hazards and multiple forms of violence: they are arrested, discriminated against or deprived of their rights. UNICEF estimates that 62% of children who migrate in Latin America and the Caribbean are victims of trafficking.

'My Right to a Dream' is an original work that combines different artistic expressions in order to immerse the viewer in the sensations of the migrant children and adolescents of Latin America and the Caribbean. The story rescues the experiences of migrant and refugee children through the reconstruction of the stories of a girl and two migrant children who travel from different corners of the North Triangle of Central America and converge in a migratory control along the border.

The production has been a collaboration between the National University of Tres de Febrero (Argentina), UNICEF Regional Office and Manglar Films (Panama), and has talents from Argentina, Uruguay and Panama such as Soledad Villamil (The Secret in their eyes), Ana Prada, Diego De Paula, Miguel Repiso "REP", Daniel Hendler and Lola Berthet.

The whole section of dance and corporal expression was produced in Panama by José Leonardo Amaya and Analida Galindo, of the Fundación Espacio Creativo.

The play was part of UNICEF's global Report launch "A child is a child: Protecting children on the move from violence, abuse, and exploitation (https://www.unicef.org/publications/index_95956.html)

You can access the Six Commitments for Migrant and Refugee Children by clicking here (https://www.unicef.org/emergencies/childrenonthemove/90514_94936.html).

This is our way of helping children who are hungry, who are lost. We want to sensitize countries that reject these suffering children, who have been mistreated or fleeing from wars, guerrillas and cartels.

Jorge, 13 years old

In the play we represent the situation of children crossing borders, touching on issues such as drug trafficking and human trafficking.

I was saddened to know that there are children being used to transport drugs into their bodies.

Jima, 14 years old

Through this project, we seek to create awareness of the situation of migrant and refugee children through an artistic and theatrical piece.

We want to invite the public to open the doors of their countries to migrant children, especially those who have been persecuted.

The most difficult thing has been to know the experiences of the children on their way to the destination countries, crossing borders, suffering physical, sexual and psychological aggressions. Many of them are children alone, children without whom to take care of them, many of whom will fall in the way.

José, 16 years old.