“The Family as the Institution with the Primary Responsibility for the Protection, Upbringing,

and Integral Development of Children and Adolescents”

Norberto LiwskiARGENTINA

Mexico, 27-29 October, 2004

INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF THE FAMILY 1994

“Family, resources and responsibilities in an evolving world”

• “The family constitutes the basic unit of society and therefore warrants special attention”

• “Families assume diverse forms and functions… Consequently, the International Year of the Family encompasses and addresses the needs of all families”

• “YPF will seek to promote the basic human rights and fundamental freedoms… whatever the status of each individual within the family, and whatever the form and condition of that family”

• “Policies will aim at fostering equality between men and women within families, to bring about a fuller sharing of domestic responsibilities and employment opportunities”

• “Programs should support families in the discharge of their functions, rather than provide substitutes for such functions”

Principles of theInternationalYear of the Family

“To stimulate local, national and international action as part of a sustained long-term effort to:

• Increase awareness of family issues among Governments as well as in the private sector;

• Strengthen national institutions to formulate, implement and monitor policies in respect of families;

• Stimulate efforts to respond to problems affecting, and affected by, the situation of families;

• Enhance the effectiveness of local, national and regional efforts to carry out specific programs concerning families by generating new activities and strengthening existing ones;

• Improve the collaboration among national and international non-governmental organizations in support of multi-sectoral activities;

• Build upon the results of international activities concerning women, children, youth, the aged and the disabled.”

Objectivesof the

International Year of the

Family

RESEARCH

“ What do children in the Americas think about families?”

DEFENSA DE NIÑAS Y NIÑOS INTERNACIONAL DNIDEFENSE DES ENFANTS INTERNATIONAL DEIDEFENCE FOR CHILDREN INTERNATIONAL DCI

• General trend to replicate the configuration of the nuclear family, independently of the social class, age and type of family of the respondents

• Validity of the extended nuclear family

• Children’s trend to accept their families as they are, beyond their problems and instability to meet both material and spiritual needs

• The family is understood as a niche of safety and stability

• Enhanced family valuation as a niche for support and protection as children grow up, until he/she has to face emerging conflicts and insecurities. In this stage children gradually build up their own personality and this creates a greater need for guidance and support

• The concerns stated by most respondents relate to alcoholism, marital disputes and physical abuse

• The strongest element in any type of family experience is the presence or absence of the feelings, affections and emotions that give a sense to human coexistence

Conclusions

TABLA STIVEN MEJORARLA

Organizations of the Inter-American System for the Promotion and Advocacy of the Rights of Children and Adolescents

(Convention on the Rights of the Child)

• Inter-American Court of Human Rights

• Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

• Inter-American Children’s Institute

Public Policy Programming

NEED-BASED APPROACHShort-term prospects aimed to close existing

gaps

Services made available

Specific projects addressing specific groups of children

Children deserve being helped

Governments should do something but nobody has well-defined responsibilities

Children may participate in order to enhance service availability

Some children may be excluded due to lack of resources.

RIGHT-BASED APPROACHLong-term prospects

Greater awareness of all groups (parents, children, decision-makers)

Integral approach

Children are entitled to be helped

Governments have moral and legal obligations

Children are active participants by Law

Every work contributes to an overall goal

Public Policy Programming

NEED-BASED APPROACHVoluntary

It addresses the symptoms

Partial targets (80 percent of children is immunized; efforts are made to serve the largest number of people)

Need ranking. Some needs are more important than others (nutrition before education)

Needs vary according to the situation, the individual and the environment

Needs are subjectively assessed

RIGHT-BASED APPROACHCompulsory

It addresses the origin and causes

Overall targets – everybody has the same rights (80 percent immunization means that the immunization right has not been enforced)

Rights cannot be broken down, they are indivisible and interdependent

Rights are universal (the same rights everywhere)

Rights are based on international standards

Conclusions and Recommendations

• To strengthen the design of state policies addressing family problems related to their younger members, with an integrated and universal approach.

• To deepen the efforts made in the area of legislative reform to make them consistent with the principles and provisions in the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

• To intensify adolescence-oriented policies by favoring their community participation and integration into the democratic life of their respective societies:

a) Increased budgetary allocation b) Greater investment in professional training programs for those who are

excluded from the formal system c) Development of national strategies aimed to prevent and eradicate the

various forms of violence affecting children and adolescents d) Creation and access facilitation to health services (mental health and

HIV/AIDS)

Conclusions and Recommendations

• To promote legislative reforms aimed to the disarmament of society, thus liberating adolescents from such potential risk.

• To promote in the community and the family the need to demand the enforcement of fundamental rights, to consider the state as the major guarantee of such enforcement, and to advocate their binding nature in cases of non compliance and non fulfillment.

• To increase the state allocation of adequate budgetary allocations for enhancing the living conditions of children and adolescents with respect for the equity, solidarity and social justice principles.