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For Report of WorldForum 2005October 19-23, 2005Report of WorldForum 2004On National Action Plans for Infancy Buenos Aires, Argentina September 27-30, 2004 On September 27/30, 2004, in Buenos Aires, Argentina took place the 2004 WorldForum on National Action Plans for Children under the theme "Infancy and Youth in the Political and Social Agendas" organized by the International Forum for Child Welfare ( IFCW) and the Comité Argentino de Seguimiento y Aplicación de la Convención Internacional sobre los Derechos del Niño (CASACIDN) The purpose of the event was to become a space that would gather all the actors involved in child welfare (public officers, legislators, national civil organizations and international organizations) to debate and analyze, within the framework of the National Action Plans, the following main themes: Inequality and poverty; Child labor; Discrimination, participation and the responsibilities of the social and government entities. More than 500 persons participated in this event from various organizations from all the provinces of Argentina and from the United States, the United Kingdom, Brazil, India, South Africa, New Zealand, Canada, Finland, Ireland, Costa Rica, Chile, Estonia, Perú, México, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela, among others. WorldForum 2004 , of a national, regional and international character, was a "meeting of the minds", as Rolando Quiros, President of IFCW stated during the inauguration of the Opening Ceremonies ."it is my hope that at the end of this event we will feel closer to each other and with a renewed spirit of solidarity in our never-ending struggle for the full and universal implementation of the rights of children." Why was the theme of national Actions Plans chosen as the main theme of the WorldForum? In the first place because Argentina , the host country, does not yet have a National Plan for Infancy, a tool that will help to create new conditions for the integral development of children and that incorporates the principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) to the offer of programs and services that derives from coherent public policies, both national and local, and that involve the State and civil society in their preparation. In second place, because after 15 years of having proclaimed and ratified the CRC, there is still no consensus on the National Law for the Protection of the Rights of Children and Youth that would respond to their interests and not to special, economic or ideological interests that do not allow for its full implementation. The main axis of the event was to become a space to mobilize all actors involved, generating ideas for the government entities and for the civil society in order to articulate the work of both sectors in the development of public policies through actions that will take as their main beneficiaries children and their families, ensuring their access to universal basic policies. Goals and Objectives . It was proposed that the WorldForum would become:
The goal was that WorldForum would allow participants to construct bonds of cooperation in the search for alternative solutions to the problems that affect children in their respective countries. We assumed the commitment of implementing the event with the objective of helping to build a new paradigm for the attention of children based on the CRC, since its implementation commits not only the State but the whole of society; to make the necessary changes in the way they understand and act in relation to children and to advance in the preparation of norms, policies and programs that would project children as citizens and ensure the integral protection of their rights. About the event, who, when and how? There was massive participation: more than 500 adults and 300 children and adolescents that participated in a concurrent Forum in which they worked on the same themes as the adults and had a strong national presence. Methodology The event combined plenary sessions by national and international experts in various areas, thematic workshops and "Rounds of Experiences of Good Practices" in which selected organizations presented the projects they carry out in their communities. What follows is a review of the main concerns about the themes of the event. They have been organized in two parts: a) an "Overview" of the present situation as mentioned by the various participants, and b) "Challenges" that the participants considered as the most important aspects that should be addressed in the immediate future. Of course, this does not necessarily apply to all countries, but to specific situations as mentioned by the participants from their own particular experience. A. Is it possible for children to have access to knowledge and to a safe environment for their survival if they are immersed in poverty and inequality? Overview: - Most of the Latin American countries have democracies for election purposes, but no democracy for the people and their development. - More that 240 million Latin Americans are poor and most of them are children that were born in households that were poor and that have fallen bellow the poverty line lately as a consequence of exclusion policies that do not protect rights, do not strengthen social institutions and do not define policies that stimulate the participation of society and its organizations. - Exclusion processes affect children and youth, who have lost their social networks of help, their families have been weakened and institutions have lowered their standards of services. • Exclusion also reached the education sector. The lack of opportunities to access an education of quality implies exclusion for future citizens, their societies and their countries. • In general terms the impact of the crisis did not affect school enrolment because schools became places where other needs could be met, although in detriment of education: they provide school lunches and keep children out of the streets, but the quality of the educational process suffered adversely. • When children born to poor families enter school, they do so also to poor schools: poor in the teaching process, poor in human resources and poor in equipment. This accumulates the effects of poverty an generates inequalities according to the student's social origin. • The problem of children rights is a question of society. Even while a country advances in, for example, educational rights, there are other rights that condition the educational process. The different rights form part of an integral protection of the individual. - Today, our societies are divided in different groups of citizens (women, children, those without land, those without employment, etc.) whereas before there was only one citizenship. Each group struggles for its own interests and for making its rights visible, but there is not a united struggle for all. • Children are seen as social investment, not as future citizens with rights. Challenges : • Debate changes, perspectives and ideologies so that power is not a space to manage and defend particular interests but an opportunity to build a different culture and a different future. • Promote experiences of changes in the educational process: specially those that show that even school children from poor areas can obtain good results. These experiences are successful because they know what they want, what are their strong points and how to project themselves into the future. • Promote policies that work in a democratic context, not in authoritarian ways. • Strengthen the role of society in demanding their rights. B. National Action Plans Overview : • Action plans imply complex processes and should be guided by principles and concrete actions that point towards the institutional strengthening of the systems for children. • The only way in which a plan can be implemented is if all the actors are involved and act together (State and civil society) • Plans are a tool to implement the CRC and should be viewed as a requirement by each country. • The plan should identify concrete opportunities to improve the lives of children. • Experiences show disparities in the level of plans and their implementation in Latin America. • The design of National Action Plans should be accompanied by the necessary resources to ensure their implementation. Most plans fail because they do not have the necessary resources or because they do not include all the actors that should be involved. • The experience of Canada, for example, shows that the plan has been a success in its design. It has the vision of what it plans to accomplish; clear and measurable objectives and resources to obtain them. It has wide coverage and it is inclusive: it has 4 thematic areas: sustain families, strengthen the communities, promote healthy lives and promote education. But the participation of the provinces was not all that was expected and the NGOs had a limited participation. It was more a process between the Government of Canada and the United Nations. There was not an active participation of civil society and this represents a weakness to be considered by other countries. • The experience of Brazil also shows that its design has been complete and inclusive, with precise goals: reduce inequalities: give priority to social investment; invest at the municipal level and in civil society; and with the creation of an inter-ministerial group that oversees its implementation, controls the resources and promotes dialogue with civil society. However, it lacks links between sectors, such as education, eradication of child labor and fight against abuse and exploitation. Public policies are not linked together. Challenges: • Create in civil society an awareness of the need to design and implement National Action Plans that include integral activities and programs that guard the principles of the CRC. • To ensure that the Plans are accompanied with the necessary financial an human resources for its implementation. • The coordination of programs and services within the plan, so that the strategies and actions of the different actors are not duplicated. • There is a need to evaluate the impact of the plans in the countries that have implemented them. This evaluation will allow countries to share their experiences. • Civil society and children should follow the implementation of the plan, as it is not only a tool but a goal to be attained. C. Measures to make effective the rights promulgated by the CRC: Towards an agenda of social and State responsibility. Overview: • The implementation of child protection policies of the CRC does no mean that we do more of the same with more resources. It implies a change in the relations of the State, the institutions, adults and children. • The principles that rule the instruments for the protection of human rights and the obligation of the States to respect and protect these rights are guidelines that cannot be put aside in the adoption of legislative, administrative and judicial measures referred to Article 4 of the CRC. Challenges: To create a new model of intervention of the State and of society together with the generation of more equalitarian socio-economic conditions, so structured that they will prepare the way for the access of children and adolescents to their rights. To review in each country what are the "rules of the game" and who are the responsible actors in the protection of children so that their responsibilities are not only a rhetorical gesture of good will but a real commitment. Children cannot remain isolated from the democratic process. The CRC should become a program for the reform of the State, which cannot be excluded from the discussions about democratic processes. The rights and obligations of the State and of citizens, as well as transparency and better coordination of services should be concepts that are privileged in the discussions about democracy and also should be part of the goals of the CRC. To create interventions that are capable of integrating social actions that favor the inclusion of children in their family group, in the school, in the health services system and in their community. They should be flexible and interactive models that can answer to the needs of children and their families. • Protect social investment for children: to place children among the priorities of macro-economic discussions, with international organizations and in the negotiation of external debt. • To promote that resources be used with a sense of equality and oriented towards inclusion. • To promote social participation n the discussion of budgets and in the follow up to ensure that they are implemented accordingly. This should include the media, monitoring and observatories. • To determine which factors are present in the violation of rights, so that better decisions can be taken for the future distribution of available of resources. D. The Protection and Rearing of Children . Overview : • Families live in an isolated world. • Family relations have been privatized to such an extent that the social responsibility of the communities has practically disappeared so that society can no longer be responsible for the protection of children. • Children live in a more insecure world because the world of adults has grown more violent. • The privatization of family relations becomes an obstacle for the exercise of responsibility towards the new generations. The judicial system seems to penalize only sexual abuse, violence against women and family violence. • In England the children's law sought to find a balance between the role of the State in its support to families, it concentrated on the responsibility of parents more than in the rights of children or their participation in decisions that affect them. While before the emphasis was on processes, now it is placed on results for the welfare of children. • In Brazil the Constitution changed family legislation and the raising of children is considered a responsibility shared by the family, the State and society. This affects the ideal figure of the family. • to recognize that children have rights presents a double proposal: the need to protect children, even if the family is not capable of doing it and also reaffirms the right of the family to take care of its children. The problem stems from the fact that many families have difficulties in carrying out its functions. • It is frightening to consider that the CRC might diminish the functions of the family. Challenges : • To protect children through early intervention and not as a reaction when problems have become acute. • Provide training to all those that work with children. • The State should explain to families that rearing a family is not the equivalent of power, but that it is process of sharing while growing. • To question governments regarding the situation of millions of children and families. Insist on the protection of human rights with the support of social movements. • To question the mentality that has allowed the privatization of family relations. • To question adult behavior, at least in three dimensions: sexuality, family ties and affection. • To question old paternal schemes where punishment was a given component of every day life and to advance in the building of conditions that will allow for dignified conditions for all persons. E. Protection against child labor . Overview: • International organizations, civil society organizations and governmental organizations are not in agreement as to the way to treat the problem of sexual exploitation of children. For some it is one of the worst kinds of child labor and for others it is simply an offense. • Some activities, like the production and sale of drugs, can be considered an offense when carried out by minors. It is necessary to determine if the judicial systems reacts in accordance to the protection of children required by international agreements. • Public policies are slow and inefficient; there is a lack of budgets at the national, regional and municipal levels; there is not enough data to identify and quantify the problem in it real dimension. There is also lack of understanding of the problem in society at large. • Liberal economic models have produced more child labor. To combat it, it is necessary to combat the models that produce it. • The CRC is clear in establishing the right of all children to be protected against economic exploitation and against any labor that would interfere with their education or that is dangerous to their heath and well being. Art. 32 of the CRC puts in the same level the jobs that are dangerous with those that might interfere with education. This means that the suspicion that the labor "might" affect education is cause enough for the State to forbid it. Challenges : • Actions against child labor should be multiple and integral. • There should be dignified work for adults and quality education for children. • Prevention campaigns directed not only against the exploiters but also to consumers so that they can reject products produced with child labor. • The CRC should be interpreted from the perspective of the integrality of human rights and the superior interest of the child. • Identify and denounce child labor. To pay special attention to the elimination of work of younger children, to inform and to mobilize public opinion to this problem. • To support national policies that protect children by promoting productive work for parents and other policies that establish solutions to the basic problem of family income. F. What do children do with the media, what does the media do with children? Overview: • The language used by the media is not innocent. In many instances it reinforces stereotypes against children. • Media workers who are interested in social themes, do have the possibility of including the rights on children when they develop news items. • More often than not children are reported as victims of violent acts, or as consumers, but not as citizens with rights. The right to privacy of children is often not respected. (their identity, their names, or other identifiable information is published). • The media still considers children as an ideal not as a reality and therefore their needs are often ignored. • Many cases are treated as isolated happenings, without considering that they form part of deeper problems that require further research. Challenges: • To promote closer relations between NGOs and the media. • To establish that child care organizations are sources of news about children. • To create a media culture that promotes the rights of children. • To research further into the motives that lead to tragic news. This should help to understand the origin and sense of the happenings that are being reported. • The protection of the identity of children should be a priority. No news item should have more weight than the security and integrity of the children involved. • To denounce violations against children rights and to follow up on their solution. • To promote special training of media workers on children matters. • To challenge media reports that only take children as information pieces. This will open the road to a new dimension regarding the treatment of children by the media. • To include, without violating his/her integrity, the point of view of children on matters that affect them. G. Speeches, policies and participation: themes for discussion: From the discussions and presentations made during the event, the following themes were mentioned and should serve as items for further consideration: • In the political speech, children are the main objective, but this is not coherent with the practices that are implemented. • It is of no use to have focal policies towards children if the economic and social policies promote exclusion. • The present structure of the institutions that are responsible for the design, implementation and evaluation of programs towards children, make it difficult to have an efficient implementation. • There is a need to generate integral policies because it is difficult that specific policies for children might have some impact on their well being. • It is necessary to work not only with government organizations but with NGOs and with syndicates. It is not a question of substituting the government, but a need for an improved formulation of policies. • Discuss the role of international organizations, NGOs and the government in order to place children rights in the political agenda. If this is not done, political priorities tend to leave the needs of children out of the discussion. • There is a need for concrete commitments between NGOs and the government to unite efforts to obtain the necessary investment to protect the rights of children in all areas: health, education, infant development, nutrition, etc. • We should abandon the old paternalistic approach in the design and implementation of policies and programs for children. • In most countries, the lead child protection agencies are weak and cannot coordinate the different areas of the government that operate independently so that it is difficult to implement coordinated policies. • It is necessary to create the necessary political will in the State so that it can comply with the commitments of the CRC. There is a need to create the institutional mechanisms that are necessary to implement national policies and to provide the necessary resources. • It is necessary to have long-term public policies that point towards the solution of structural problems that affect the welfare of children. There should be a set of standards that are considered a right, with mechanisms that provide access and protection of these rights. • A strengthened civil society, participative and committed to this process and that participates in the design and implementation of policies, plans and programs. Policies that are conceived as the realization of human rights and that should tend towards deep changes in the present life styles. • The superior needs of children acts as a limit to the power of the State and should be a guide for the design of its policies which, in turn, should respond exclusively to the rights included in the CRC. ************* |
