Table of contents
Alberto Minujin , Mnica Gonzlez Contr , and Ral Mercer
Part I
The Contexts of Child Poverty
Ana Mara Osorio and Luis Fernando Aguado
Hctor Njera Cataln
Robin Cavagnoud
Jorge Paz
Part II
Social Policy and Child Protection
Camilo Prez Bustillo
Yedith Guilln Fernndez
Jorge I. Vsquez
Ianina Tun and Agustn Salvia
Cristian Herrera, Alejandra Vives, Camila Carvallo, and Helia Molina
Part III
Inequalities and Care Policies
Charles-douard de Suremain
Juan Antonio Vega Bez
Ma. Cristina Torrado, Ernesto Durn, and Tatiana Casanova
Nelson Antequera
INTRODUCTION [1]
Alberto Minujin [2]
Mnica Gonzlez Contr [3]
Ral Mercer [4]
Recreating childhood means generating a space in culture where that reality can be thought of as a new intergenerational link, and as an emancipatory category, and not merely as a period of pure submission to adults . Child autonomy is a core concept, given that the goal is to provide fundaments to nothing less than freedom. As it is known, without freedom, the person is not possible.
Eduardo Bustelo , The recreation of childhood
The core purpose of this book is to show that the debate on poverty in Latin America, specifically childhood and teenage poverty, must be part of a larger discussion involving justice, freedom, citizenship, identity, participation, and peace on a global level. It attempts to promote efforts in our region to gen erate our own line of thinking about social policy. Our focus is on lasting alternatives that are unconstrained by traditional views about social policys formulation and implementation.
The current context shows us that the world may be experiencing its most severe crisis since the 1920s. Although income-related poverty has decreased in Latin America, particularly in comparison to other regions, this trend is both non-sustainable and less than expected considering the investments made. [5] As a measurement of inequality in income distribution, the Gini index shows that inequality continues to prevail in the region. For children, poverty persists because of their lack of rights and the intergenerational transmission of poverty.
Human beings must be the protagonists of the decisions that affect them. Therefore, it is necessary to provide new definitions and context to citizenship. That is why it is so important for girls and boys to be recognized as full-fledged citizens. In doing so, it is vital to analyze public policies as part of a larger research and social mobilization effort that seeks to address the issue of inequality and improve childrens standard of living.
In this context, the nature of child poverty and inequality in Latin America must be conceived of in a way that deepens the debates on the social determinants of exclusion and marginality, incorporating reflections on how new and old inequalities articulate in the restriction of the rights and in the exercise of citizenship by boys, girls, and teenagers (NNyA, as per the acronym in Spanish).
In that sense, this material may serve as a catalyst for debate and analysis that advances the study of child poverty and inequality and identifies potential ways to address the problem in the region.
The works included in this publication were selected by an academic committee in response to an international call under the International Seminar Childhood Poverty, Public Policy and Democracy, organized by Equity for Children ( http://www.equityforchildren.org/ ) and Comparative Research Programme on Poverty, CROP ( http://www.crop.org/ ), with the support of Flacso and UNAM, held in Mexico D.F., in February 2014.
I. Background
This publication is the result of research and collaboration initiated by the Working Group for Investigation-Action on Child Poverty and Inequalities and by the Project for Connectivity in Graduate Studies on Children Rights and Policy (GT) commissioned by Equity for Children with the support of the regional offices of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations International Childrens Emergency Fund (UNICEF) in 2010. It aims to boost academic training for the application and democratization of knowledge required to strengthen childhood policy in Latin America.
Since 2011, a group of academicians was convened by Equity for Children to develop an information and analysis tool that contributes to the debate about the conditions of inequality faced by children and teenagers in Latin America. They also explored policies aimed at overcoming the factors generating these conditions of inequity and exclusion. They approached the concept of child poverty from a critical and scientific perspective, in the broad context of social exclusion and inequalities related to, among other areas, gender, ethnic origin, and social class.
The GT coordinating team included researchers from Equity for Children Latin America, Comparative Research On Poverty-ISSC/University of Bergen, Flacso-Argentina, the Observatory of Children of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Chiles Universidad Catlica, and CINDE-Colombia.
The first concern in the child poverty analysis was recognizing its increasing complexity inside the home, including aspects of social relationships such as gender, age, and ethnic relations that often give rise to many forms of inequality and that cannot be considered in isolation. The second concern was the interrelationship between the home and its relationship with stakeholders from the state and civil society, the latter of whom build barriers or bridges to the exercise of rights to the following: a quality environment, adequate public areas and services, violence rates that do not restrict the mobility of women and children, dignified public transport, and decent jobs. Third, the team considered the intergenerational transmission of poverty and the effects of poverty both at different stages of life and over the long term.
II. Reference framework
Below are a series of conclusions from the review process at the international seminar Childhood Poverty, Public Policy, and Democracy:
1. Childhood teenage and social justice
The inclusion of the rights of children and teenagers as guiding principles in the formulation of public was achieved through the social, academic, and political mobilization of the past 20 years. However, identifying the issue and defining it in technocratic terms does not necessarily lead to a political solution.
Views on social justice have been guided by the debate between transcendentalist justice theories and the comparative approaches. The former seeks to analyze whether institutions can be made fair, as posited by transcendental institutionalism based on the theory of justice in Rawls. The latter is about comparisons based on realizations that allow eliminating evident injustices. These debates have extended the issue of social justice as a matter of redistribution and equity by positing the subjects of identity and difference (Fascioli, 2011: 53).
In this way, social justice is related to issues of distribution ( economic ), recognition ( cultural ), and representation ( political ) as manifested in the nation-state, a frame of reference rendered obsolete by globalization. Fraser indicates that failing to account for globalization results in the injustice of mis-framing . This injustice relates to the what , the who , and the how of justice and further elucidates the debate on the right approach to theorize about justice (Fraser, 2008). In adopting the perspective of the participant, Fraser states the following:
