Too many children still being exploited in the region, warns advocate

The treatment of children in the region has improved for the better since 1990, but as policymakers and adolescents gather for the first regional dialogue on the Convention on the Rights of the Child in Santiago, Chile today, concerns are being raised that many children in Latin America and the Caribbean are still being exploited, abused and deprived of their rights.

There are 193 million children living in the region, and speaking on their behalf this morning, Gilda Menchu expressed gratitude for the progress made to lift their standard of living.

But Menchu, a children advocate from Guatemala, argued that many children are still not receiving a good education or comprehensive healthcare, while some are being sexually exploited, beaten and forced to work.

“So many of us remain silent because we are threatened by phrases,” said Menchu during this morning’s opening session for the regional dialogue.

“We keep in our memories tragedies from home,” she said.

All the countries in the region have ratified the Convention, which was introduced by UNICEF 30 years ago.

“The signing of the Convention is a starting point and an arrival point at the same time,” said UNICEF’s regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Maria Cristina Perceval.

The delegation from Jamaica at the regional meeting includes State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Floyd Green, executive director of Jamaicans for Justice, Rodje Malcolm, and child development specialist, Professor Maureen Samms-Vaughan.

We want to hear from you! Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169, email us at editors@gleanerjm.com or onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com.