5 Jan 2012 • Child protection systems Colombia

Colombia: Terre des hommes restructures public policies

- Published by Darcissac, Marion

In a context marked by years of violence, Terre des hommes and the University of Cartagena have presented a survey analysing in depth the strengths and difficulties encountered by four municipalities when facing problems that touch childhood. Recently elected mayors have undertaken to follow the directives of Tdh to improve their public policies and the still far too precarious situation of the children.

Efforts which are acknowledged, but have not yet led to better respect for the youngsters.

In parallel with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Latin American and Caribbean countries, including Colombia, have taken on a number of international and regional commitments that comprise the specific development goals and presumed adoption of public policies to achieve progress in the quality of children´s lives. These commitments include the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the action plan “A World Fit for Children”, among others.

Despite these advances, the continuing reality of childhood is marked by poverty and inequality. Worldwide, four out of ten children live in extreme poverty and have a high probability of suffering from poor nutrition and health. They are also at risk of not attending school and 10.5 million children die before the age of five. In developing countries, about 200 million children under five run the extreme risk of damaging their cognitive, social and emotional development; it is likely that many of them as adults have a low income, high fertility, provide bad health care, poor nutrition and little encouragement to their children, contributing to the intergenerational transmission of these disadvantages.

In Colombia, about 48 children die every day from preventable or easily curable diseases, 10% of them die from pneumonia and a high percentage of these are small infants. According to the National Demographic and Health Survey (ENDS) of 2010, 12.8% of the children between 0 and 4 years of age show chronic malnutrition (low height for their age). This indicator becomes worse in rural areas (17%) and at the Caribbean coast only two of the seven departments have a prevalence of chronic malnutrition below the national average.

Analyse the reasons for setbacks, and move forward

The high degree of policy development, both internally and in international legislation, requires an analysis to identify clearly the reason why, despite these important legal developments, the possibilities are far from guaranteeing the rights of children within a framework of equity. Government action must go beyond giving assistance: it must achieve the realisation of the rights of children, creating conditions for a dignified life and strengthening child participation in the family and community contexts, so they are allowed to have a full development.

In collaboration with Terre des hommes, two researchers from the University of Cartagena carried out a survey on public policies regarding childhood in the four municipalities where Terre des hommes intervenes (Arroyo Hondo, San Juan Nepomuceno, San Jacinto and Carmen de Bolivar). This survey was made with the purpose of determining the pertinence and impact of public policies aimed at ensuring protection of child rights. It also proposed directives for the four municipalities mentioned.
This study was presented on November 24th and 25th, 2011, at a seminar on public policies on childhood. More than 150 officials from the Bolivar department were also taught about the importance of constructing and applying local policies to benefit children. Three weeks after being elected, the new mayors from these districts and their teams were also able to discuss the situation of children in their own municipalities and to put ideas forward at round table meetings – ideas which should now be taken up into their governing programmes.

Download the executive summary of the study “Public policies for children and adolescents in the development of plans of the municipalities of San Juan Nepomuceno, Arroyo Hondo, San Jacinto and Carmen de Bolivar” in English or in Spanish

Further information on Tdh interventions in Colombia