The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), as a member of the United Nations Joint Programme entitled “Strengthening Human Security and Community Resilience by Fostering the Promotion of Peaceful Coexistence in Peru”, supported the launching and development of a campaign to prevent pyrotechnic incidents in Trujillo city from 23-28 November 2015. The “Safe and Happy 2015 Celebration” campaign is an initiative of the National Superintendence for the Control of Security Services, Arms, Ammunition and Explosives for Civil Use (SUCAMEC).
This nationwide campaign includes awareness-raising activities in schools and on public roads, broadcasting of radio and television advertisements, and the distribution of informative material. As a contribution to the Joint Programme activities for Human Security in Trujillo, this campaign succeeded at increasing the awareness among youth about both the dangers of using pyrotechnics and the safety measures to be taken when using them.
The awareness campaign activities were carried out in five educational establishments and reproduced in twelve additional schools via video, reaching approximately 11 million school-aged children in Trujillo. The main messages of this campaign were “pyrotechnics are not toys”, “all pyrotechnics are dangerous”, “children should not play with pyrotechnics”, and “only adults are allowed to handle pyrotechnics”. Thanks to the support of the United Nations Volunteer Program, this activity reached a greater part of the population and invigorated the awareness campaign, contributing to the creation of a social network in Trujillo.
The United Nations Joint Programme for Strengthening Human Security, which UNLIREC forms part, supported the “Safe and Happy 2015 Celebration” campaign within the framework of other activities carried out in collaboration with public institutions and local authorities in Trujillo aimed at reducing and preventing criminal activities, gender-based violence and youth involvement in crime.
For more information about UNLIREC, visit (www.unlirec.org) or contact Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer, at (cowl@unlirec.org).