- Institutional responses have not been sufficient to deal with school dropouts and the increase in inequality gaps that affect the life projects of girls, boys and adolescents.
- The pandemic has not only affected the health of young people, the challenges also appear in the academic, work, socialization, recreation and leisure spheres.
Article 6 of the Children's rights convention It points out that the States Parties recognize that every child has the inherent right to life, guaranteeing survival and development to the maximum extent possible. The arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in violations of the rights of girls, boys and adolescents, such as the right to health, education and socialization, among others.
As part of the Webinars cycle #OurFuture in the Covid-19 Era, organized by the Initiative Weaving Childhood Nets for Latin America and the Caribbean, the program "How has the pandemic affected the life projects of children and young people?" with the participation of Sara Lara from World Vision Colombia; Lisbeth Quiliche, Director of Welfare and Family in Peru; Luis Daniel, a young Colombian, moderated by Juan Martín Pérez, Coordinator of the Knitting Networks Childhood Initiative.
Initially, Juan Martín Pérez specified that the right to life must be accompanied by actions by the State to guarantee a dignified existence. "The pandemic is affecting the lives of young people, girls and boys, with negative impacts on their future projects", mentioned.
For Sara Lara, the pandemic has affected two relevant aspects around the life projects of children and young people: it is about the dynamics of socialization and family coexistence, in addition to the conditions of poverty that have forced thousands of young people to abandon their studies.
One of the biggest concerns for activists defending children's rights is that there are no exact figures on the number of male and female students who have left virtual classrooms, due to lack of access to connectivity, without the accompaniment of the education authorities, Lisbeth Quiliche noted.
For his part, Luis Daniel, a young Colombian who has had to adapt his life to the new virtual reality shared the following: "Starting the classes in virtual mode was difficult because some of us did not have enough tools to make way for this new form, we young people have learned to solve every obstacle that comes our way."
The right to life is comprehensive and to provide a solution to this economic, health and rights crisis for young people, it is necessary to guarantee their return to the classroom in a biosecure manner, as well as access to vaccination against Covid- 19 for this sector of the population in order to avoid further impact on life projects, said Sara Lara. In the same sense, Juan Marín Pérez complemented that the consequences of the third wave of infections by Covid-19 will also reach young people, with important impacts on their health and therefore on their life projects.
Among the proposals that specialists make to mitigate the effects of the pandemic on the lives of young people are: comprehensive support for students at risk of dropping out of school, promoting spaces for economic insertion in favor of their development and of the community, attention to physical and emotional health, promoting a culture of peace to organize their life projects, strengthening community networks.
For specialists, another of the most violated rights during confinement is cultural rights.
Clearly, young people have experienced severe effects during confinement, increasing inequality gaps, therefore, an effort from adults is required, through international and inter-institutional strengthening, the experts concluded.
If you would like more information on this topic, please request an interview with Juan Martín Pérez, Regional Coordinator of the Initiative Weaving Childhood Networks for Latin America and the Caribbean.
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Ollin.TV is an Internet television channel created as part of Weaving Childhood Networks in Latin America and the Caribbean, an initiative co-financed by the European Union, which seeks to contribute to the strengthening and consolidation of a platform for the defense of children and adolescents in 20 countries of America Latin and the Caribbean.
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