Digital Library

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.

Declaración sobre el Femicidio 

Aprobada en la Cuarta Reunión del Comité de Expertas/os
(CEVI), celebrada el 15 de agosto de 2008
MECANISMO DE SEGUIMIENTO
CONVENCIÓN BELÉM DO PARÁ (MESECVI)
COMITÉ DE EXPERTAS/OS VIOLENCIA (CEVI)

13–15 de agosto de 2008
Washington, D.C.

“VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN & CHILD PROTECTION SYSTEMS” is a report presented by IPSON and the NGO World Vision on the public perceptions of child violence in Latin America and the Caribbean. Its objective is to assess and measure public opinion and awareness to violence against children, as well as to identify the main sources of information adults use to inform themselves on the topic. In general, the report helps both the organizations (public and private) and the civil society to understand their own perceptions of causes and consequences of child violence. Overall, it shows that the region is less sensitive to violence against children that prior years. This could be the result of the mix of various myths and misconceptions adults have on the threats to children. The fact that public institutions are discredited and not trusted as guarantors of children’s rights plays also a role in the reduced interest of the region to this topic.

Poverty, segregation, inequality and lack of access to public services combine in Brazil, resulting in a grave situation of violence in one of the fastest growing countries on Earth. “Targeting Violence Reduction in Brazil: Policy Implications from a Spatial Analysis of Homicide” is a report produced by the Latin America Initiative of the Brooking Institute that seeks to identify the impact of public policies in homicide rates, using Brazil as a case of study. Going even further, the report has as an objective to provide a guide on how to modify existing policies for them to be more effective using evidence-based methods. Ingram and Da costa provide evidence on how poverty reduction programs have a direct impact on the reduction of violence in the communities where this sort of projects are applied. Also, they emphasize on the need to prioritize hot-spot policing over other types of policing due to its effectiveness shown in reality.

The authors develop their study by desegregating Brazil into its respective municipalities, building a new map of homicides in the country. What the map shows in a first instance is the unequal distribution of violence between municipalities and the influence that a predominately violent municipality could have on its neighbors. Data showed that violence spills out of the municipalities into the bordering regions. The most visible evidence of it is the cluster of violent municipalities at the East Cost of Brazil: from Rio de Janeiro to the State of Ceara at the North of the mentioned coast. All violent crimes studied (homicide of males, femicide, homicide of young population and homicide of black people) have a remarkable high rate in that area. This phenomenon can also be seen in the state of Para and Mato Grosso.

When analyzing the types of homicides to define hot and cold spots of violence, gender plays an important variable: municipalities considered as cold spots for homicides to males or youth population are however hot spots for femicides. Still, in broad terms males are the ones most involved in violence and homicides as the data shows. The role of women in preventing violence is prevalent corresponding to the evidence: while families where the mother is both responsible for the children and working are more prone to be involved in violent situations, those who receive monetary incentives from the government constitute a source for stability and economic revival for their municipalities. Programs such as “Bolsa Familia” are then a model to follow in poverty and violence prevention as they are for social inclusion and equality.

The global plan of action is a technical document informed by evidence, best practices and existing WHO technical guidance. It offers a set of practical actions that Member States may take to strengthen health system and intersectoral actions to prevent and respond to interpersonal violence in general, and against women and girls, and against children, in particular. The plan also outlines Actions that the WHO Secretariat is expected to carry out in support of Member States.