Mayra Neves' Fight For Education

Nelson Mandela claims, “Education is the most powerful weapon that we can use to change the world.”(Famous Education Quotes)  Sadly, between 500 million and 1.5 billion children worldwide are estimated to experience violence annually(UNICEF). Violence prevents children from going to school because it is too dangerous, or because their schools have been closed due to the violence. Children who are living in a poor environment do not have access to the “most powerful weapon” of education, that can “change the world”. In the poor parts of Brazil, child school attendance is low, because of the danger within their communities. Growing up amongst drug cartels and violence, Mayra Avellar Neves knows that children in shanty towns living in  a violent environment should always have access to education and healthcare, however bad the violence is. Mayra has taught children that they have rights too, but if they want people to listen to them, they have to find a way to do it.

Poor children carry enough burdens and should not have to face violence on the streets.Peace Prize Winner Mayra Neves grew up in the midst of a civil war between drug cartels and police(Intl.Childrens Peace Prize) In Mayra’s favela (shanty town), there are many drug cartels. Drug cartels are very powerful drug dealers who have the weapons and money to make anyone, even the government, obey them. Some of the the Brazilian police, notwithstanding the bribes from the cartels, have remained loyal to their cause and are trying to bring them down. This has created a civil war in the favelas because the cartels and the police are fighting. In the same fashion, Mayra’s favela is one of the most violent ones, and therefore most children face the danger of the cartels at very early ages. Consequently, the police are constantly patrolling the streets,while, in the alleys, the unpredictable cartels (some of whom are on dangerous unpredictable drugs) lurk in waiting.In addition to them being violent and unpredictable, the cartels kidnap people for ransom sometimes, and so the children are in constant danger while on the streets.“When Mayra was eleven years old, the neighbourhood was cut off and became virtually inaccessible to medical and teaching staff. As a result, schools and clinics were closed”(Childrens Peace Prize) Above all, Mayra values education. So when her school was cut off because of violence, she protested. Mayra did not accept having her education cut-off. She attended another school outside of the area in spite of the dangers it posed to her, it worked for her, but she didn’t stop there, she believes that all children deserve an education like she had gained. Accordingly she believes that things can change for the better in Brazil, and she has already started to work towards the change.  Mayra has become an impetus of change in the poor communities of Brazil. She refuses to accept such a level of violence that would cause education to be cut-off.

Education is very important for children, so that they can know their rights and stand up for them.  “Everybody has a part to play in improving human rights, in particular the rights of children as the future generation. We as a people can and must stand up for these children, whose rights are being violated and whose lives are at risk.” Mayra values education, so when she was 15, she mobilized hundreds of children and youths to stand up for their education;they demanded that the police should stop patrolling around schools during the times that children walk to and from school, so that they could get to the school( Intl.Childrens Peace Prize).  Furthermore, her determination was very strong because there was a risk in what they were asking, but the police agreed to her demands, helping many children to resume attending school. Recently, Mayra organized another march to stand up for the rights of all slum dwellers. She believes that we all have a part to play in ending human rights violations, and to end all of the violence, particularly in the favelas, where the violence still continues. In Mayra’s favela, children are forced to face unacceptable levels of danger, their schools are cut off, and they have no idea that they have rights to stand up for. There are  54 articles in the convention on the rights of the child (CRC- children’s rights). The 28th article states that every child has the right to an education(UNCRC simplified) That right has been violated because the neighborhood had been cut-off from the school, but the children didn’t know that their rights were being violated, because they had not been taught yet. Many of the articles  are about keeping children safe from danger and violence. Mayra helped them to realize that they should not just let this violation of their rights happen, that they have rights, and they should stand up for them. If all of the children’s rights are respected, none of the children’s lives would be at risk, and every child would be safe and happy at school.

Mayra Avellar Neves is working hard towards a brighter future for these children. She is fighting to give them the weapon that can change the world- education. But although she has accomplished much, she cannot achieve much more without our help. Mayra is making a change in Brazil, now we have to help her by making a change in our own communities. If you live near anywhere (a kampung, community) where you know that there is anyone who doesn’t know their rights or whose rights are being violated, you should help them. by educating them about their rights. Help children stand up for their right to an education. Maybe we can reduce the amount of children living in ignorance. Violence creates fear, and fear causes people to resort to violence, we must help to break the vicious cycle.
Here is a video of all of the Children's Peace Prize Winners from 2005 to 2009