Digital Library

Esta publicación por la Oficina del Representante Especial del Secretario General Sobre la Violencia contra los Niños (SRSG-VAC) y UNICEF revela datos de la situación de la violencia contra la niñez en América Latina y el Caribe. Reporta que en la región: dos de cada tres niños entre 2 y 4 años sufren de violencia doméstica en su hogar; cada día 67 adolescentes son asesinados; y 1.1 millones de niñas de 15-19 años han experimentado violencia sexual. Hoy, solo diez países de la región han aprobado leyes que prohíben todas las formas de violencia contra la niñez, incluyendo la violencia doméstica. Sin embargo, muchos de los niños y niñas de la región han sido afectados por el miedo y el dolor de la violencia. Esta publicación busca demonstrar que es importante incluir al sector privado en la agenda de la prevención de la violencia contra la niñez.

The resurgence of violent conflict in recent years has caused immense human suffering, at enormous social and economic cost. Violent conflicts today have become complex and protracted, involving more non-state groups and regional and international actors, often linked to global challenges from climate change to transnational organized crime. It is increasingly recognized as an obstacle to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

The demographic composition and the steady economic growth in Latin America have led to broad access to internet and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT’s) in the region. Indeed, Latin America leads the way in the developing world on the percentage of the population connected to the Net. Nearly half of the population is connected and progress has been made to deliver 3G and 4G connections to marginalized areas. Governments, activists, citizens and international organizations have used this advantage to promote accountability and effectiveness in the policing effort. As citizens produce and consume more information in the internet, virtual communities and initiatives have been created to share experiences and data on crime and violence. However, these technologies have also been used by criminal organizations to broaden their influence and business. The present article looks to the characteristics of “digitally enhanced violence prevention” in the region using the cases of Brazil, Colombia and Mexico.

The 2010 earthquake in Haiti left the already impoverished country in a state of crisis. As years passed by reconstruction seemed like an unattainable task and violence, crime and poverty where taking away the happiness and hopes of the Haitian people. The destruction of the education system and therefore the weakening of the system meant a condition of ignorance on many topics, being sexual education one of the most affected. When institutions can’t cope the needs of the citizens and there’s a misconception of what sexuality means, sex is then transformed as an exchangeable good. Women, adolescents and girls found themselves in an atmosphere of fear, uncertainty and impunity which normalizes violence in all of its forms, being sexual violence the most relevant one. The work of the Canadian and Haitian Red Cross has been to put in place cultural programs that de-normalize violence and empower young leaders to be agents of transformation in their communities.

Violence expresses itself through different forms depending on the life stage of a person. Bullying as a mean of discrimination is one of the most common violent practices found in schools all over the Americas. The difference between Bullying and other forms of violence consists in the systematic process of depreciation (and even de-humanization) of a student to the point the victim believes suicide is the only way out. As with other forms of violence, vulnerable communities such as the LGBTQ bear an unfair share of the consequences. The following two papers provide tools to school administrators and stake-holders for creating safe learning environments, in which vulnerable communities and different students can feel included. Though it may not cause the majority of violent deaths in the Americas, harassment in schools has profound and serious consequences for future generations and national economies.