ALIANZA JOVEN HONDURAS - USAID

opportunity to present before the Security Commission of Congress (which also
participated in the Workshop), some comments about the perception of the Honduran
youth on the issue of firearms.
In April, JCVH presented during a full session of the Honduran Congress, the results
of its highly publicized campaign “Ojo con la Juventud antes que un Ataúd” (Let’s
Take Care of Young People Before They End Up in a Coffin). This campaign
occurred in the 4 largest Honduran cities where JCVH has presence. During their
presentation, JCVH requested Congress to consider the approval of a new fire-arms
law. Furthermore, they utilized the opportunity to ask Congress to approve the MAPA
(Responsible Parenthood) Law, which was also being advocated for by UNICEF.
During the “Ojo con la Juventud antes que un
Ataúd” campaign, the JCVH collected over 2,000
surveys from the public about their opinion on the
issue of fire-arms in the country. The campaign
was also highly educational, as only a few
participants previously knew that it was legal for
each Honduran citizen to own up to five firearms.
Most considered this number to be too high.
President Lobo´s Opinion Survey
A draft of the Law to Regulate the Possession
and Registry of fire-arms is still in the
consultation phase and may be introduced for a
vote by Congress in the last legislative session of
the year.
The MAPA (Responsible Fatherhood and Motherhood) Law
The JCVH continued its advocacy for the passing of
this Law and, as mentioned above, called for its
approval during their presentation to the full session
of Congress. JCVH frequently referred to this Law
during their activities and media exposure. After
strong advocacy from UNICEF and other civil society
groups, including the JCVH, the MAPA Law was
passed by Congress on May 29th, 2013 and will
enter into effect when printed in the official diary, La
Gazeta, which apparently will be soon.
JCVH marching for MAPA Law
The “Ley de Mi Primer Empleo” (My First Job Law)
During the month of April JCVH had a meeting about this initiative with Mr. Marco
Midence, Minister of Youth. A template from a similar Law approved in Panama was
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