Timor-Leste

Travel Photography Scholarship 2012entry

TIMOR-LESTE | Monday, 14 January 2013 | Views [351] | View Larger Image

Despite years of colonization, occupation and international intervention, Timor-Leste has now celebrated ten years of independence! As a young country, with the majority of the population under the age of 25, youth are Timor-Leste's national identity today. The current generations have experienced conflict as well as peacebuilding projects and are currently shaping the future of Timor-Leste. Numerous youth participation and vocational training programs are taking place across Timor-Leste, to build a strong and peaceful tomorrow. These youth were riding on top of a large dump truck, a common form of transportation in Timor-Leste.

This image was taken at Becora Prison in Dili, Timor-Leste on a visit led by a coalition of church members, government agencies, national and international NGOs and civil society that collaboratively work for child rights in Timor-Leste. The incarcerated boys, who in this image stood before a panel of Child Rights advocates, had either committed murder or rape according to the Prison Director. Often their human rights including access to formal education and opportunities are denied. The Coalition's purpose to the prison visit, is to ensure the government agencies are held accountable and respect children's human rights base on the fundamental Principe of the Rights of the Child, as mentioned in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Timor-Leste's National Policy.

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Timor-Leste

Travel Photography Scholarship 2012entry

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