UNICEF

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN REGION

I chose to take a closer look at this region because I am currently teaching in a preschool that services a lot of immigrants from Guatemala.  I have three students and their families in my class.  This group of people are different from the Mexican immigrants because many are considered refugees instead of immigrants.  It is helpful to understand the conditions and challenges that cause these families to leave their country. 

In this region children are faced with many challenges the affect their development.  Although it difficult to get accurate information for real statistics there are an estimated high number of cases of neglect, commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking, juvenile justice, child labor, child soldiers, and birth registration.

• NEGLECT- Thousands of children in countries like Brazil, Columbia, and Bolivia face homelessness due to the inability of their families to properly care for them.  Many of these children are institutionalized.  

• COMMERCIAL SEXUAL EXPLOITATION AND TRAFFICKING- Throughout Latin America and the Caribbean there is an estimated 1.2 million children trafficked every year and 2 million are sexually exploited through prostitution and pornography.  The majority of the women prostitutes were sexually abused in their homes when they were children.  This is a huge problem because children have limited access to school and basic health services.

• JUVENILE JUSTICE- The perception which is reinforced through the media is that poor adolescents are responsible for the rise in violence in this region.  However, statistics show that the percentage of adolescent perpetrators are actually relatively low for the region.  However, In 2004 children and adolescents deprived of liberty conflict with the law in Latin America were approximately 40,000.
• CHILD LABOR-  Although child labor is on the decline in Latin America there are still an estimated 5.7 million children ages 5-14 engaged in different jobs in the region.

• CHILD SOLDIERS- In 2004, some 11,000 children under 18 were required to participate as child soldiers in the conflict in Colombia.  They are forced to become fighters, cooks, messengers and, in many cases, to provide sexual services.

• BIRTH REGISTRATION- 18% of annual births are not registered in the region.  However, this number does not reflect indigenous and African descent populations, displace populations, and border and conflict areas where the numbers are estimated to be much higher.

All of these are examples of trauma that put children in this region at great risk of mental and physical distress that greatly affect their growth and development.  UNICEF works closely with governments and civil societies to help ensure the rights of children and adolescents.  They state that "Children and adolescents have the right to grow up in an environment that ensures their welfare , protect them against violence , abuse, exploitation, neglect and discrimination" (unicef.org).  They work with local governments, families, and the greater society to help inform and implement systematic and sustainable change to affect long term conditions and safety for children.

On a personal and professional level this knowledge affects the work I do with the families from Guatemala in my center.  For instance, we know that there is little access to education in Guatemala.  Therefore the immigrants from this region do not have the same understanding or value of preschool programs and what they can offer their children.  For these families we need to do more to encourage attendance and offer regular information on what their children are learning while at school.  The teachers send informational notes home regarding fine motor, gross motor, cognitive, and social emotional development to help families recognize where their children are on the developmental scale and how they are progressing.  It also gives them a reference so they can help with these skills at home.  We have regular events that invite families into the classroom and center so that they can see first hand, through modeling, the learning activities that are incorporated through play.  We also provide family notes and information that is written for low literacy readers (i.e. 2nd grade literacy).    

Reference

UNICEF. (n.d.). UNICEF Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean. Retrieved February 21, 2015, from http://www.unicef.org/lac/