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Healthy
Communities Human
Rights Civic
Participation
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Human
Rights New Mexico Voices for Children supports the recognition
and civil rights of all persons and families, regardless of their race, religion,
nationality, ethnicity, gender or gender identity.
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A Report by the Urban Institute for the National Council of La Raza
All over the country children area coming home from school to empty houses – their parents gone with no notice, having been taken into custody during an immigration raid at their place of work. To find out how these raids affect children, their families, and the communities in which they live, the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), an Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization, contracted with the Urban Institute, a nonpartisan research organization, to conduct a study. “Paying the Price: The Impact of Immigration Raids on America’s Children,” released last fall, is the first comprehensive assessment of the social, economic, and psychological effects of immigration raids on children.
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NM Voices was the first
organization to hold a statewide conference on Race
Matters using materials created by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The conference
highlighted how structural racism leads to inequities within institutions that
serve children. Nationwide, children of color are over-represented in the juvenile
justice system because minority youth are more often arrested and held than their
white counterparts who commit the same crimes. Children of color are also more
often removed from their homes and placed in foster care than white youth even
when they come from similar situations. Minority youth have poorer health outcomes
due to less access to sexual and mental health resources than their white counterparts.
Minorities, and minority youth in particular, are also under-represented and misrepresented
by the media, which serves to perpetuate stereotypes. New Mexico Voices
for Children supports these policies: - The right of
gay and lesbian couples to make a life-long civil commitment to each other. Such
commitment strengthens a family and studies indicate that children thrive in households
with same gender parents.
- Repeal of the death penalty. The death
penalty is known to be applied in a discriminatory manner, is ineffective as a
deterrent to crime, and more costly than life in prison. NM Voices also believes
we should not be teaching our children that killing is an appropriate form of
justice.
New Mexico Voices for Children opposes these policies:
- Any
legislation or constitutional amendment that would prohibit marriage or civil
commitments between same-gender partners.
- Practices and policies
that, when implemented, create an advantage for white people and a disadvantage
for people of color.
- Making it a felony to be in this country without
documentation or to render humanitarian aid to an undocumented person.
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