GENEVA - Child advocacy group Casa Alianza is this year's winner of the world's largest humanitarian prize for its efforts to help street children in Mexico and Central America.
The $1 million Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize, awarded Friday and every year since 1996, will be used to continue the group's work with children, Casa Alianza executive director Bruce Harris said.
Casa Alianza's headquarters are in Costa Rica, but the group is a subsidiary of the New York-based Covenant House. Founded in 1981, it provides shelter, food, medical care, protection and education to thousands of children aged 6 to 18 in Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Nicaragua.
It has pursued legal cases that have led to Guatemalan police officers being imprisoned for the murder of street children and is pressing 550 cases involving crimes against children, the Hilton Foundation said.
The organization also has fought against the trade in illegal baby adoptions in Guatemala.
''In Central America we have disposable children and we are not willing to accept that the murder of children continues,'' Harris said. ''The biggest murderer of children, though, is not the authorities - it's the world's indifference.''
The prize was presented Friday by Jordan's Queen Noor at a ceremony in Geneva.
''The phenomenon of street children is global, alarming and escalating,'' she said in a statement. ''Estimates are that today there are 100 million children living on the world's streets.''
Casa Alianza was selected from some 160 nominations made by members of the international community, including diplomats, foundation leaders and academics.
Once nominations are made, the Hilton foundation researches and visits the organizations. After that, selections go to an independent international jury.
Last year's award went to the African Medical and Research Foundation and 1998's to Doctors Without Borders.
On the Net:
Casa Alianza: http://www.casa-alianza.org
Conrad Hilton Humanitarian Prize: http://www.hiltonfoundation.org
