@techreport{BonillaPerez2021,
  type      = {Working Paper},
  author    = {Bonilla P{\´e}rez, Nazaret},
  title     = {Children's Rights Promotion in Sahrawi Refugee Camps : A Study on the Vacaciones en Paz Programme from a Child Rights-Based Approach},
  issn      = {2199-4315},
  doi       = {10.25972/OPUS-24383},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-243833},
  pages     = {1-53},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {The Vacaciones en Paz programme (VeP) started in 1979 shortly after Morocco illegally occupied Western Sahara, which since 1975 has been a disputed territory pending a referendum for self-determination. The programme consists of Sahrawi children being hosted during summer by Spanish families who try to raise awareness for the Sahrawi cause and temporarily alleviate the children's living conditions. Meanwhile, approximately 170,000 Sahrawi refugees live in camps near Tindouf (Algeria) heavily dependent on humanitarian aid for their survival. This study aimed to determine the impact of the VeP programme on the promotion of children's rights based on the perspective of Sahrawi children. Research has shown that it serves as a temporary platform to implement some of those rights. This qualitative study is based on a literature review of the principles of the VeP programme, alongside a thematic analysis of the field data provided by Sahrawi children and teenagers. Analysis of the VeP programme demonstrated that the Convention of the Rights of the Child is not mentioned in its discourse. Notwithstanding, the results indicate an impact on the promotion of Sahrawi children's rights. On this basis, it is recommended to implement a children's rights-based discourse within the principles of the VeP programme, since the theoretical knowledge of their rights may be a key factor for strategic empowerment of Sahrawi children and teenagers in their representation of the Sahrawi cause.},
  subject      = {Westsahara},
  language  = {en}
}