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Inter-American Children's Institute |
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Video "I want to be cared for" 1.
Introduction The
Inter-American Children’s Institute together with the National System
for the Comprehensive Development of the Family in Mexico (DIF) agreed to
develop the video “I Want to be Loved”, on the Right to Protection
Against Mistreatment, as part of a series to promote and advertise the
rights of children as guaranteed in the Convention on the Rights of the
Child. Ing.
Julio Rosenblatt, Coordinator of the IIN Inter-American Program of
Information on Children and the Family, was the originator of the idea of
developing videos. The
Video “I Want to be Loved” is a 1 minute 13 seconds animated musical
video interpreted by Leonardo Croatto (soloist) presented in Spanish with
English subtitles. RAL (the Latin American Network) produced the video and
Walter Tournier directed it. 2.
Content Introduction The
Inter-American Children’s Institute is making online surveys through its
web page on topics related to the rights of the child. On the specific
topic of the mistreatment of children, interesting inferences can be made
from the results obtained so far. When asked about places
where the rights of children are most likely being violated, 46% of
respondents considered it to be the family and the children’s milieu
(29% and 17% respectively). These are followed by the judicial system
(14%), police stations (13%), schools and the media (9,5%), public and
private institutions for the care of children (5%) and finally medical
centers (2%).[1] These
data, although coming from a limited sample (those who visit our pages and
answer the surveys), show us the alarming perception of almost half of the
respondents consider the family and the milieu of the child the most
likely place where his/her rights will be violated. These
first approximations to situations of vulnerability faced by children and
adolescents calls for a deeper analysis of one of the grave problems of
our times: “the mistreatment of children” About
the mistreatment of children When
dealing with the mistreatment of children, we are faced with several
problems. In the first place, this is a problem whose magnitude remains
unknown due to lack of data and to the fact that in many cases it stays
within the confines and intimacy of the family. Secondly, cultural and
historic traditions play a very important role in the way each society
faces this problem. Finally, there are conflicting opinions on its
definition and classification, on the consequences of the mistreatment of
children and on the most appropriate ways to deal with it. Article
19 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child establishes that States
Parties “shall take all appropriate legislative, administrative, social
and educational measures to protect the child from all forms of physical
or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment,
maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse, while in the care of
parent(s), legal guardian(s) or any other person who has the care of the
child”. In
spite of this, the mistreatment of children remains a hidden problem in
many countries, both in the developed as well as in the developing world.
“In the region of Latin America and the Caribbean, at least 6 million
children and adolescents are victims of severe aggressions and 80 thousand
die each year due to family violence”[2]
Any child, regardless of age, sex or socio-economic background can be a
victim of mistreatment in any of its forms. Risk
factors for a situation of mistreatment of children The
mistreatment of children has many causes and is determined by multiple
forces affecting the individual, the family, the community and the
cultural milieu that prevents or hinders their comprehensive development. “Many
reasons lead to believe that the mistreatment and neglect of children will
become even more pervasive at a time when countries are making the
transition from a regulated economy to an open market economy less
structured for social welfare. Urban growth overloads social and medical
services, women increasingly join the labor force and more and more
families are, for different reasons, displaced from their home and from
their cultural milieu”[3] It
is important to be able to identify the “adverse conditions” that
foster the mistreatment of children in order to detect and anticipate the
problem. We have classified in three groups the risk factors that may lead
to mistreatment:
Some
individual characteristics of the children themselves might contribute to
situations of mistreatment such as:
Can
also be identified as risk factors individual characteristics of the
parents, such as, among others, their personality or their experience or
inexperience in rearing children.
When
the family faces situations of unbalance, the children are often the first
victims. Risk
factors for mistreatment within the family depend on its structure and on
its functioning and dynamics. Factors on its structure are, among others,
number of family members, one parent family, adolescent parents. Risk
factors related to the functioning of the family are poor relationships
and communication, lack of affection and family violence. Finally, the
absence of limits or family rules and the relationship of the couple may
have a negative influence in the family dynamics and contribute to
situations of child mistreatment.
c.
Socio-cultural and environmental factors The
culture and traditions of each country also influence the common
understanding of child mistreatment. Rearing practices in different
cultures show us that things we do that seems so natural to us may be
alien to other cultures and societies. “If
the mistreatment of children in our society is part of a mistreating
culture and if a mistreating culture is made up of daily routines and
practices that are perceived as natural, it is only by changing those
practices of daily life that we can prevent and change the predicament of
a child”[4] There
still exist in many countries the idea that children belong to their
parents and that they can decide on their children’s destiny. The
dependency of children on adults in our society is also a risk factor.
Such problems as unbalance in the family situation directly affect the
children and make them one of its first victims. Among
the environmental and socio-economic problems that may be risk factors
towards mistreatment we can mention:
In
the first place it is important to point out that the risk factors
previously mentioned only partially account for the “adverse
conditions” that may generate situations of mistreatment of children. In
second place, in the majority of cases of mistreatment, more than one of
those factors are present. Finally,
in order to analyze the problem and plan any action to follow it is
essential to acknowledge that it has many causes. 3.
Target Public “I
Want to be Loved” targets all the children and adolescents of the
countries of the region. The idea is to device a communication strategy
that – by means of positive messages – would highlight the
responsibility of the whole family to provide PROTECTION AND CARE for all
children and adolescents. It
also targets fathers and mothers in order to make the whole population
aware of the problem of mistreatment of children as a problem of
infringement of rights. 4.
Broadcast times We
live in a society were mass media of communication, specially radio and
television, arrive to the homes of even the most marinated sectors. The
rational and wise use of this vehicle provides an opportunity to
disseminate the rights of all the children and adolescents of the region. The
suggestion is to broadcast the Video “I Want to be Loved” at a time
when children, adolescents and the whole family will have the opportunity
to view it. 5.
Diffusion ·
The
Video "I Want to be Loved" will be shown by commercial channels
and cable in the different countries of the region ·
The
video can be used by public and private school networks in the different
countries as a didactic tool to visualize the rights of the child. · Workshops will be organized for people involved with children’s welfare to discuss the topics of the video. 6.
Lyrics of "I Want to be Loved" Look
at me Do
not mistreat me I
feel what you feel If
you show me love CHILDREN'S
CHOIR Treat
me like a child 7.
Production of “I WANT TO BE CARED
FOR” General
Coordination: Julio Rosenblatt 8.
Information on the Inter-American Children’s Institute The
Inter-American Children’s Institute (IIN) is a specialized organization
of the OAS with headquarters in Montevideo, Uruguay, founded in 1927. In
the 75th Meeting of its Directing Council held in Ottawa, the
Strategic Plan 2000-2004 was approved. In this plan, the promotion of
tools for the dissemination of the Convention on the Rights of the Child
by means of communication strategies is suggested. To
implement this, for the last two years the IIN has been promoting the
development of short videos of approximately one minute on issues related
to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. These videos are being shown
on commercial TV and by cable in all of Latin America. The
work of the Inter-American Children’s Institute revolves around three
important programs: a.
Program of Comprehensive Promotion of the Rights of the Child The
Program of Comprehensive Promotion of the Rights of the Child, based on
developing a Prototype of Focused Public Policies on Children, tries to
promote measures and intervention projects to deal with the problems and
needs of children and adolescents in circumstances of vulnerability, risk
and social exclusion. This
program has developed its Prototype of Focused Public Policies to deal
with the problems mentioned in articles 23 (Handicap), 32 (Child Labor),
33 (Drug Abuse) and 34 (Sexual Exploitation) of the Convention on the
Rights of the Child. b.
Inter-American Program of Information on Children and the Family
(PIINFA) The
main objective of PIINFA is the production and promotion of information
systems directed to people and institutions working with children and
adolescents in order to create pools of comprehensive information that
will help generate changes in the life conditions of children and
adolescents in the Americas. The
projects of PIINFA provide focused services to deal with the primary needs
of institutions, decision makers and planners working with children and
families. They have also developed flexible information processing tools
able to generate self evaluation data to facilitate adaptations and
change. All the projects are tailored to the specific needs of each
country, avoiding the rigidity of ready made general answers. The
activities of PIINFA are centered on: -
The Latin American Information Network on Children (RIIN) c.
Juridical Program The
Juridical Program (PROJUR) provides Member States of the OAS with services
such as training, information, monitoring, research and specialized
technical assistance in order to reinforce and support national systems of
protection of children in the hemisphere. It
also tries to provide modern juridical information to ruling bodies on
children, facilitate research, train people responsible for institutional
development and rights and provide technical assistance in the unfinished
task of harmonizing national legislations with the principles of modern
international norms. 8.
Information on the LATIN AMERICAN NETWORK RAL,
the Latin American Network, is an International non-profit Organization,
with headquarters in Montevideo, Uruguay. Founded in 1996, RAL is governed
by a Board of Directors composed of personalities from various Latin
American countries. Objectives: COMMUNICATOR
FOR INTEGRATION AND DEVELOPMENT: This
would be the result of joint efforts by the Audiovisual and the Social
Communication Industries of the region to promote and diffuse Latin
American Audiovisual Production that will foster the process of
integration, cultural patrimony, development and democratic values in
Latin America. INFORMATION
AND CONNECTIVITY NETWORK: A
network in which television broadcasters and independent producers
participate in the following activities: ·
DIFFUSION
of audiovisual productions in Latin America and sharing of information
among members of the sector. ·
PRODUCTION
and co-production of regional material. ·
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT and presentation of new technologies and equipment. ·
STUDIES
on viewers and audiences, and application of new technologies to the Latin
American industry. ·
Implementation
of LATIN AMERICAN TELEVISION NETWORK: RAL integrated by the main sectors
of television and social communication in Latin America. PRODUCTION -
EL
JEFE Y EL CARPINTERO /
THE CHIEF AND THE CARPENTER, is the Latin American chapter of the
series ANIMATED STORIES OF THE WORLD, a 13 minute animated film produced
by RAL and directed by Walter Tournier. ANIMATED STORIES OF THE WORLD is a
series of 26 chapters under the sponsorship of the World Summit of
Children's Television. This series is a world co-production of S4C de
Gales, Executive Producers, with the participation of well known
television channels. The chapter produced by RAL was financed by Discovery
Latin America. -
YO
QUIERO (I WANT), an animated musical video directed by Walter Tournier
with music and lyrics by Leo Croatto sang by Rubén Rada. This video is
part of the Public Welfare Campaign on the Rights of the Child produced by
RAL and sponsored by the Inter-American Children's Institute. -
In
January of 2001 RAL started production of a special half hour Christmas
version of The Chief and the Carpenter, in co-production with S4C de
Gales, for the International Trust Television Fund of England. Of the 26
chapters of the series, The Chief and the Carpenter was selected for the
Christmas special of 2001. -
RAL
also develops co-production projects, acting as Executive Producer,
together with television channels and production firms. PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT Sessions
of technical/creative professional development and updating of new
technologies to take place during the Encounters and through exchanges and
internships STUDIES Studies
and investigations carried on to facilitate the entry into the Latin
American television market of
high quality programs produced by independent television broadcasters and
producers whose goal is to promote integration, culture and development to
television audiences in all of Latin America. TELEVISION
STATIONS WHICH HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THE RAL ENCOUNTER: Argentina:
ATC
Argentina – Televisora Color, Buenos Aires; FORMAR, Buenos Aires;
INFINITO, Buenos Aires; TV Quality, Buenos Aires. WALTER
TOURNIER – Director Uruguay
(1944)
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