[by Gisela Simental]
Cuidad Juarez, Mexico is going through a very difficult situation right now. Most of us who live near the border are familiar with crossing it whenever we want. However, the current situation has made it difficult for people in El Paso to visit Juarez as regularly as they used to. There are also many people who sadly see the city they love becoming more insecure with no apparent solution. The most important challenge is taking care of Juarez’s children, who will be the ones dealing with these problems in the future.
I lived in Juarez for most of my life, and one of the things that you often see are children on the streets. These kids are on the streets late at night and during school hours because they have to help their families. The way these children grow up is very harsh -- they are faced with reality from a very young age. Their families are probably very poor and do not have another choice but to make every member of the family work. Children are brought up that way, and have no idea how this will affect them in the future. They understand the responsibility of a job and the need to get money to survive even though they might not know what it feels like to be in a classroom at school. They have no other choice but to work and leave education aside. How will they do better in the future if they are not provided with education right know?
It is amazing to see these children on the streets; you get surprised by how they act. They are like small adults in dangerous streets full of cars, and are very aware of their environment. They are able to cross the streets, know what bus to take home, and they do what they can to protect themselves from the danger of the streets. The fact that they are familiar with the dangerous streets of Juarez might be helpful right know for them. But, how will they know that this is not the way it should be? The only way is through education and letting them know how important it is for them to be in school. They need to know that is possible for them to break the cycle and help their families live better.
USLA is an important factor in helping Juarez’s kids to form a better future for Ciudad Juarez by making people aware of important issues that need to be addressed in the present in order to help the future.
NOTE: USLA is grateful for this blog submission by Gisela Simental, a student at the University of Texas, El Paso, Center for Inter-American and Border Studies.