Children in Latin America
One of the great challenges that children in Latin America have to face are the multiple forms of violence that affect them, among which physical punishment that takes place within the families stands out.
For this reason, with the sponsorship of Save the Children, on January 18 and 19 the expert from Costa Rica, Mrs. Milena Grillo, Executive Directress of the Fundación PANIAMOR, visited Chile to participate in different activities organized by the National Chapter of the World Movement for Infancy(MMI Chile).
Milena Grillo presented the experience that had some impact in Costa Rica for the approval of the law that prohibits physical punishment to boys and girls, as well as the implementation of a public program of the Ministry of Health, addressed to the change of behavior in the families, in favor of education without violence. This experience at present is a reference point in Latin America and the foundation that it directs played a key role in the whole process lived up to the present time.
Among the activities that it developed, are stressed a meeting with the authorities of the institutions of the MMI Chile to explain the process that had social and political effect, meetings with organs of the State (Ministry of Social Development and National Council of Infancy) and a Seminar in which was discussed this affair in the framework of the legislative reform which is being promoted at present in the country. This last activity had only one concurrence and counted with the participation of representatives of the executive power, of UNICEF and of spokespersons from civil society.
The Movimiento Mundial por la Infancia (World Movement for Infancy in Latin America and the Caribbean) (MMI – LAC) is an organized strategic Alliance of civil society, agencies and international organisms; its principal objective for the next years is to make of Latin America and the Caribbean a region free from physical and humiliating punishment. In Chile,FMSI Southern Cone has led the creation and coordination of MMI Chile, in which at present eleven institutions participate with an international bond or link.