Argentina faces crucial moments. This Sunday the presidential candidates will debate their proposals and in another week citizens will have the opportunity to reaffirm their commitment to democracy by voting. It is a fundamental moment in the analysis of the country’s present and future.
In this exchange, the situation of childhood and youth must take a central place: the candidates have the unique opportunity to tell the population how they address the poverty that affects 57% of girls and boys and how they want to ensure access to it This poverty can ensure quality education and a healthy life, how to ensure a non-violent upbringing and appropriate care in the first years of life.
At UNICEF we analyze all these challenges in the document #VotaPorLaInfancia, which summarizes the ten main problems facing children and young people in the country and policy proposals to address them. This election, 40 years after the return of democracy, calls on us to renew the commitment made with the signing of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and to pay off the debt to children.
The debate on the well-being of children is urgent and necessary: in order for every girl, every boy, regardless of where they are born or live, to have a present and a future with rights, economic, labor and social protection policies must be implemented make it possible to eradicate extreme poverty, ensure the effectiveness of the social protection system and the budgetary resources allocated to children in the areas of education, health, housing, infrastructure and care.
Today two out of three girls and boys are low-income or have no basic rights. In this context, programs that aim to reduce informal employment of people heading households with children and strengthen cash transfers – such as general child benefit and food benefit – among others, have a significant impact on poverty reduction.
It is also important to ensure the provision of educational services and basic learning at primary, primary and secondary levels throughout the national territory. In this sense, it is important to strengthen the management capabilities of the system and schools, for example through early warnings to identify students at risk of dropping out and through active searches in their communities.
Girls and boys have the right to nutritious food and a life free from violence. Argentina has a law promoting healthy eating that, if fully implemented, will help reduce overweight and obesity rates. With regard to violence, particularly in education, early detection and coordination between different government systems and programs are crucial for preventing and combating violence.
UNICEF is the United Nations organization tasked with supporting states in their role as guarantors of the rights of girls, boys and young people. 38 years ago, it committed itself to supporting the State and Argentine society in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and to providing resources and experiences at local and global levels in the service of a fairer and more equitable country. We were, we are and the day after the election we will be here to contribute to the well-being and development of girls and boys.
Luisa Brumana He is a representative of UNICEF Argentina.