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Dr. Claudette Crawford-Brown, a senior lecturer at the University of the West Indies in the Department of Sociology, Psychology and Social Work, has decades of experience working with trauma­tized­­ children. Along with her colleagues, she has used play therapy to help children with issues ranging from bullying, migration, and human trafficking.

Opening schools in segregated an unequal regions is not just an investment to educate children. It is also about empowering communities, letting them achieve their dreams and escape the fear of violence and crime. By letting citizens out of the education system we are leaving their communities vulnerable to criminal organizations, low expectatives and a vicious spiral of poverty. Criminals are not born, but rather the result of a toxic atmosphere were future seems only like a dream. Nadia Lopez empowered low income communities in New York City through education and showing them the world, helping them create dreams they could fight for.

The present report evaluates the results of World Vision’s strategy for violence against children in five countries of Latin America: Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Peru. The data shows all aspects of children and adolescents’ lives: from their experiences at home and school to the broad atmosphere of their communities. Changes in attitudes, perceptions, norms and laws are seen to be the key driving factors for the creation of safe spaces where children and adolescents can fully and freely develop. Taking into account that violence against children is a structural-caused phenomenon, all of the members of society have a share of responsibility in the issue, including children themselves. World Vision programs look for the empowerment of children to maximize their capacities of leadership and productivity, providing the tools for the future adults to be agents of change. In the meantime, families, government institutions, faith congregations and local communities must work together to enforce laws that prevent violence to happen and to modify the behavior of grown adults.

The present report examines the cases of success of World Vision where advocacy led by the NGO paved the way to relevant changes in Latin American States’ legislations. In broad terms, more than 147’000.000 children of the region were impacted positively by these changes. Violent acts against children such as corporal punishment, bullying, child marriage, human trafficking, child labor and sexual violence were penalized and advances were made towards the application of those laws. An improvement of the conventions and codes’ enforcement methods was also an objective for the Organization. A total of 14 Countries were benefited by the support of World Vision: Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru.

Remarks of Susan Bissell, Director of the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children at the Launch of the End Violence Nation Action Plan.