VENEZUELA: Toy guns for bikes, games and stuffed animals in anti-crime exchange programme

Record ID: 376440

  • Title: VENEZUELA: Toy guns for bikes, games and stuffed animals in anti-crime exchange programme
  • Date: 22nd August 2008
  • Summary: (L!2)CARACAS, VENEZUELA (AUGUST 20, 2008) (REUTERS) OVERVIEW OF THE PETARE NEIGHBOURHOOD LOCATED IN GREATER CARACAS VARIOUS OF PETARE NEIGHBOURHOOD VARIOUS OF CHILDREN PLAYING WITH TOY GUNS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) LOCAL CHILD, JOANDER IBARRA, SAYING: "My father tells me not to play with pistols because it sets a bad example, and if I become a crook, I could die." CHILD PLA
  • Embargoed: 6th September 2008 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVAE2ZOUGQ8IEJZK7OLEUGWO9IH6
  • Story Text: The fight against crime in notoriously dangerous Caracas just got a little more fun for the children of one of Caracas' most violent neighbourhoods.
    The Venezuelan People's Power Ministry, a division of the Interior Ministry, launched its "Disarmament Plan" on Wednesday (August 20) for the children in the crime- and poverty-stricken Petare neighbourhood. The plan organized an exchange of some 500 toys of a violent nature, including toy guns, for more peace-oriented toys.
    The initiative seemed to leave an impression on the area's youngest residents.

    "My father tells me not to play with pistols because it sets a bad example, and if I become a crook, I could die," said Joander Ibarra, a child of the Petare neighbourhood.
    According to the UN last year, Venezuela has the world's highest death rate from guns, with 34 deaths in every 100,000 caused by firearms.
    To combat the high crime rate, the Interior Ministry is hoping the grassroots toy exchange program will reach the children of Caracas before it's too late.

    "This is an activity intended to teach a lesson: we are exchanging toys of a bellicose nature, toys that have a violent connotation, for educational toys or sporting goods. We're fundamentally hoping to facilitate and make parents and their families aware that violence is often generated through the stimulation provoked by by violent toys," said Edwin Rojas, the director of the National Crime Prevention Program.
    Rojas added that the exchange program will be repeated in other sectors and communities of Caracas.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: Footage contains identifiable children: users must ensure that they comply with local laws and regulations governing the publishing of this material.
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