Luz Andrea Medina

Teen pregnancy

www.equidadmujer.gov.co. 30/08/2011

 6,500 Colombian girls under 14 pregnant each year

Six thousand five hundred girls under the age of 14 get pregnant every year in Colombia, a high government official said Monday.

According to the country’s presidential adviser on women’s issues,CristinaPlazas, teen pregnancy is a high priority issue due to its negative impact on economic and social development.

According to the president Juan Manuel Santos, teen pregnancy inColombiahas doubled in the last 20 years.

Read more:

http://www.equidadmujer.gov.co/OAG/Documents/Salud-Estado-Embarazo-maternidad-Adolecentes.pdf

http://www.lanacion.com.co/2011/08/30/al-ano-se-embarazan-6-500-menores-de-14-anos/

Human Rights

www.mineducacion.gov.co  18/01/2012

The Inter-American Development Bank is to invest $12 million in human rights education in Colombia, announcesColombia’s education minister Wednesday.

The money will be invested in the National Plan for Education in Human Rights. The $12 million will be used to for the development of educational projects and the creation of “environments of democratic learning which improve the academic atmosphere.”

Colombian Minister of Education, Maria Fernanda Campo said that the initiative will allow public and private educational institutions to strengthen a policy establishing a culture of making human rights part of the everyday experience.

Read more:

http://www.mineducacion.gov.co/cvn/1665/w3-article-294641.html

http://www.semana.com/nacion/educacion-derechos-humanos-llega-aulas/170563-3.aspx

Children in conflict

www.crin.org  11/01/2012

Children forcefully recruited by AUC commander “El Aleman”  reveals how they fought in rows Elmer Cardenas bloc.

“Thank God I’m alive. I was injured in the bush and lasted eight days lost. I was beaten and had seven shots and worms in the leg, arm and head when I found …”.

This is the story of one of the 309 children who ended up in the ranks of the Elmer Cárdenas paramilitary bloc and has helped to convict the former chief Freddy Rendón Herrera, the ‘Aleman’, for forced recruitment of minors, among other crimes.

Read more:

http://www.crin.org/resources/infodetail.asp?id=27152

http://www.alianzaportusderechos.org/boletin/leer.php/13324

Luz Andrea Medina

Child Violence

www.semana.com  03/01/2012

Holiday season is the most violent times for Children

Violence against children seems to have no end, Senator Gilma Jimenez, She released a preliminary report indicating that in the past year, 117 children were killed across the country in different circumstances.
The figures show that 69 children died, while the girls were presented 48 cases. The senator’s report notes that the holiday season in the months of December, January, June and July has the highest number of cases.

Read more:

http://www.semana.com/nacion/vacaciones-epoca-violenta-para-ninos-gilma-jimenez/169901-3.aspx

http://senado.gov.co/sala-de-prensa/noticias/item/13289-senadora-gilma-jimenez-denuncia-grave-situacion-de-los-ninos-en-colombia?tmpl=component&print=1

http://www.gilmajimenez.com/ni%C3%B1osviolencia2011

Child sexual abuse

www.womenslinkworldwide.org  07/12/2011

 Non-governmental organization Women’s Link Worldwide said Friday there has been a cover-up inColombiaof sexual violence in educational establishments.

Katherine Romero, a lawyer for the organization, said there is “rampant silence and impunity from the government.”

The report, which was presented to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights December 5, showed that sexual violence in places of education occurred on almost a daily basis in Colombia – even without the researchers being able to access complete data.

Romero explained that those who wrote the report did not have access to all the necessary information, only the figures offered by the Colombian Institute of Legal Medicine and the Inspector General’s Office.

Read more:

http://www.womenslinkworldwide.org/wlw/new.php?modo=detalle_prensa&dc=329

Full report in Spanish: http://www.womenslinkworldwide.org/wlw/new.php?modo=detalle_prensa&dc=335&lang=es

 Child abuse

www.caracol.com.co  21/11/2011

New figures from the Colombian Family Welfare Institute (ICBF) indicate a dramatic increase in child abuse since 2006.

The number of complaints of mistreatment registered by the ICBF has risen from around55,000 in2006 to around105,000 in2011.

Within that figure, 11,000 children have allegedly suffered sexual abuse – a 100% rise in the same time period. The abuse includes child prostitution, pornography, and sex tourism involving minors.

Around 40,000 have suffered other forms of psychological and physical abuse this year. Around 45,000 have gone missing, been exploited for labour, or ended up begging, and around 1,400 have been displaced because of armed conflict.

Read more:

http://www.caracol.com.co/noticias/actualidad/las-cifras-de-maltrato-infantil-se-dispararon-en-colombia-icbf/20111121/nota/1581262.aspx

José Anastácio de Sousa Aguiar

After comparing two countries with a very different economic and social conditions and finding some similarities between them, it is more than normal to expect to reach a conclusion that both (Brazil and Mexico) have the same kind and level of problem related to children’s rights. However, is it true? Indeed, Brazil and Mexico are similar in some aspects, especially in economic and social conditions. However, are they at the same level if we consider problems that affect children?

 The UN consideration of Mexican report submitted under article 44 of the Convention (CRC)[1] presented on October 2008 shows some areas of concern, as legislation and implementation (7), coordination (9), independent monitoring (11), resources for children (16) and cooperation with civil society (20). In that report (item 7) the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC Committee) urged that the State party take all necessary measures to ensure that all federal and state legislation is harmonized with the Convention and relevant international standards thus ensuring their effective implementation.  The Committee also urged that the State party ensure that all state laws be adjusted to the federal laws, in particular the Act on the Protection of the Rights of Children of 2000, and that all states implement as a matter of priority the necessary administrative and institutional reforms.

 In the item 9 of that report the Committee recommended that the State party take all necessary measures to ensure that the National Council for Children and Adolescents plays a more vigorous role in the design of public policies in order to fulfill the requirement of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in a holistic way, including by giving it a formal role through appropriate legislation and budget, and that civil society is represented in the membership of the Council. In item 11, the Committee recommended that the State party consider amending the federal and state protection laws so as to strengthen and improve mechanisms for accountability, including by allowing the National Human Rights Commission to receive complaints from children. It was also recommended that State Committees of the National System for Monitoring and Supervising the Implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child be established in all states of the Republic.

 In the item 16, the Committee recommended that the State party strengthen its efforts to significantly increase the proportion, in nominal and real terms, of the budget allocated to the realization of children’s rights to the “maximum extent … of available resources”, giving special attention to children belonging to economically disadvantaged groups. In the item 20, the Committee recommended that the State party ensure that the process is systematically more participatory, and that relevant NGOs be actively involved in the drafting, planning and implementation of policies, legislation and programmes.

 Comparing both CRC Reports about Brazil and Mexico, it is possible to conclude that Brazil and Mexico are very similar in this aspect as well – the necessity of improvement of the protection of children’s rights, especially in the fields of implementations of the CRC principles, resources allocation, coordination, independent monitoring and cooperation with the civil society. Even in length, both reports are almost equal – 76 paragraphs to Brazil and 78 to Mexico.

Luz Andrea Medina

Child poverty

www.pnud.org.co  21/11/2011

 AfroColombians´s situation

 According to DANE, the country’s African population does not exceed 11 percent. That figure, according to UNDP, is an underestimate, as some Colombians have refused to recognize their roots to feel discriminated against African descent, which has led to underreporting in census data.

 This leads us to recognize that the Afro Colombians can be between 15 and 20 percent of the national population and make up a fifth of Colombians.

 In the first of eight Millennium Development Goals, ”to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger”, is the largest gap in relation to the population mixed or other ethnicities. Almost all indicators are higher in African descent.

 In municipalities with more than 30 Afro percent is double the concentration of the poor: 43.1 percent versus 27.8 percent national average. In the department of Chocó poverty is 70.5 percent versus 45.5 percent nationally.
 
In relation to access to food are not positive figures either. In Chocó, the malnutrition rate is double that of the rest of the country. InBogota hungry Afro Colombians is 9.9 percent, while the figure for other ethnicities is reduced by half, 4.6 percent.

Read more:

See http://www.pnud.org.co/sitio.shtml?apc=i1—–&x=66140

See summary report: http://www.nacionesunidas.org.co/img_upload/61626461626434343535373737353535/2011/informe_afrocolombianos_resumen.pdf

See full report: http://www.codice.com.co/LosAfrocolombianosfrentealosODM.pdf

 Child sex tourism

Cotelco.org  24/11/2011

 Colombian hotels make pact against child sex tourism

Colombian hotel association Cotelco has made an agreement with Unicef to fight the exploitation of minors through sex tourism.

Unicef Goodwill Ambassador Danny Glover and Cotelco’s president Juan Leonardo Correa ratified the commitment against child sex tourism after meeting Wednesday. After Correa met with Glover, he declared that Cotelco is 100% dedicated to protecting children and adolescents from being sexually exploited.

Correa said, “The hotel and tourism industry will continue to take action to avoid and prevent the sexual exploitation of children. Although there remains much to be done, we have ratified the commitment of our joint establishments to create safe and efficient projects addressing this disaster.”

The project “La Muralla Soy Yo” (I am the Wall), currently being developed in Cartagena, aims to promote corporate social responsibility for protecting children though the involvement and empowerment of the informal tourism sector. It will also provide technical assistance to state agencies to allow the arrest and prosecution of those involved in child sex tourism.

Hollywood actor and Unicef ambassador Danny Glover, who’s been touring Bogota, Cartagena, and Medellin over three days, declared he was very satisfied with the social commitment demonstrated by Colombian hotels regarding the prevention of sexual exploitation.

Read more:

http://www.cotelco.org/comunicaciones/sala/noti-cotelco/338-hoteleros-ratifican-compromiso-social-con-unicef

See news Unicef http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/colombia_60695.html

Colombian film

 silencioenelparaiso.com  23/11/2011

Colombian film reveals gruesome reality of ‘false positives’

 Silencio en el paraíso is a new Colombian friday that is set to premiere on Friday examines the devastating reality of “false positives” from the perspective of two young lovers.

“Silencio en Paraiso” (Silence in Paradise) tells the fictional story of Ronald and Leidy, two young sweethearts from a poor neighborhood in Colombia‘s capital Bogota whose burgeoning relationship is abruptly ended by the army

 See trailer:

http://silencioenelparaiso.com/sinopsis.html

Luz Andrea Medina

Child poverty

www.anuevoarcoiris.org.co  04/11/2011

Quibdó:  more than 70% of the families are living in vulnerable situation.

 Poverty, violence, natural tragedies, corruption, isolation, poor health and lack of education have become part of the daily life of the inhabitants of the town of Quibdó, which may lack many things, but no rain, but still only has two hours of water supply per day. All these problems are compounded by the presence of illegal groups (FARC and ELN and  BACRIM), width and length of the territory of majorities of African descent in Colombia, events that have caused a massive migration to the capital city of the department.  This situation can become a social bomb if the elected local authorities do not pay the necessary attention and especially if the national government plans and projects run from the central and does not  help to mitigate the impact of these situation which has been on for a long time this area.

In an interview with Nuevo Arco Iris, Zulia Mena, elected mayor of themunicipality ofChocó, shares her plans to follow during her administration and the importance she will give to women victims of armed conflict  as well as fighting  against  poverty and land property issues.

 Read more:

See Interview with Zulia Mena, major of Quibdó: http://www.nuevoarcoiris.org.co/sac/?q=node/1330

 Forced recruitment of Child soldiers

Elcolombiano.com  13/11/2011

 A war crime that continues in Colombia

The forced recruitment of children is one of the main problems caused by the conflict in Colombia.
According to military sources and agencies such as the Ombudsman, the children are used by the guerrillas and criminal gangs not only as fighters but as “carts” informants or to transport weapons and even for the manufacture of landmines. Girls are sexually abused. Also undergo abortions.
Early Warning System of the Ombudsman has reported since 2008, 158 risk situations of forced recruitment of children in 178 municipalities in 20 departments.
The departments with the most complaints received are Cauca, Meta, Guaviare, Antioquia, Tolima, Huila, Caquetá, Nariño, Arauca, Norte de Santander and Chocó.
The FARC is blamed for 127 of the 158 reported risk situations, while ELN appears in 50 cases. The BACRIM are also reported.
International humanitarian law prohibits armed groups recruit children under 15 years or allow their participation in hostilities. The Rome Statute considered “war crime” recruitment. In Justice and Peace, the former commander of the AUC FreddyRendón Herrera, ”the German” and Ramiro Vanoy were accused of recruiting 692children.

 Read more:

http://www.elcolombiano.com/BancoConocimiento/L/la_infamia_de_los_ninos_robados_para_la_guerra/la_infamia_de_los_ninos_robados_para_la_guerra.asp

Child disability

www.vanguardia.com.  09/11/2011

Sing language training for 750 Children in Piedecuesta-Santander

This idea emerged from the local government agreement with the Ministry of Education, seeks to strengthen the academy for 750 children who have degrees of hearing impairment and language, among other special events in various educational institutions.

Pedro Nel Diaz, municipal education secretary, said the program is progressing well, because it reinforces the program ‘Inclusive education’ of the municipality for which such activity “arises from the need to train teachers to be part of this learning and integration process with children”

Diaz added that this would also seeks to achieve in addition to interpretation, ”a better interaction of children with hearing people, allowing them to have better personal development, intellectual and social participation opportunities.”

Read more:

http://www.vanguardia.com/santander/area-metropolitana/130597-buscan-capacitar-a-750-ninos-en-lenguaje-de-senas

Luz Andrea Medina

Child rights

www.crin.org  26/10/2011

 Colombia: persistent violations of Children´s rights

 Child Rights International Network (CRIN) has published a report  about Children’s rights inColombia, the violations highlighted are those issues raised with the State by more than one international mechanism. This is done with the intention of identifying children’s rights which have been repeatedly violated, as well as gaps in the issues covered by NGOs in their alternative reports to the various human rights monitoring bodies. These violations are listed in no particular order.

•  Extrajudicial executions
• Enforced disappearances of children
• Children continue to be victims of torture, cruel and degrading treatment
• Sexual violence
• Recruitment of children in the armed conflict by FARC-EP and ELN and lack of demobilisation measures
• Insufficient sex education
• Abortion
• High rates of illiteracy among Afro-Colombian and indigenous children
• Birth registration: an estimated 20 per cent of children born in the State party are not registered, in particular in remote areas and for indigenous and Afro-Colombian peoples and internally displaced persons
• High rates of malnutrition, particularly among women and children in internally displaced communities
• Trafficking of children
• Lack of sufficient protection for children, particularly Afro-Colombian and indigenous children, in the general climate of insecurity and displacement
• The minimum age for marriage is too low and discriminatory, as it is set at 12 years for girls and 14 years for boys
• Environmental health problems caused by aerial fumigation of coca plantations
• High incidence of children victims of extrajudicial killings, homicides and massacres as a consequence of the armed conflict and high rate of drug use among children
• The detention of children in facilities which fail to comply with international standards
• Education

 Read more:

See full report: http://www.crin.org/resources/infodetail.asp?id=26427#L

 Child kidnapping

www.paislibre.org  18/10/2011

 4 children kidnapped each month in Colombia

 An average of four children are kidnapped each month in Colombia, most by common criminals, according to an NGO Paislibre.org report released Monday. According to the report, 15% of the 1,400 victims abducted since 2007 were children. Of the 212 minors kidnapped between now and 2007, 11 are still missing, six are dead, and 148 were rescued.

Of the 212 cases, 186 were determined to have been committed by common criminals, nine by the country’s largest guerrilla organization FARC, and three by the second largest guerrilla group, the ELN.

Approximately 38% of the kidnappings were carried out for extortion purposes, the foundation said.

The department of Valle del Cauca, in western Colombia, has the highest child kidnapping rate in the country, with 26 children abducted since 2007, followed by Bogota D.C., Antioquia, Nariño and Huila.

Most victims were between the ages of 11 and 15. Babies under a year old are also common targets. Slightly more males were abducted than females.

 Read more:

See full report: http://www.paislibre.org/alfa/images/stories/RUEDA_DE_PRENSA_MENORES.pdf

Nohora Valentina´s Liberation: http://www.paislibre.org/alfa/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1767:la-fundacion-pais-libre-celebra-la-liberacion-de-nhora-valentina-munoz&catid=9:novedades&Itemid=31

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-15350611

Unicef 10 k

Unicef.org.  04/10/2011

 Run for Colombian Children

 Unicef 10K “is an athletic career of 10 kilometreswill be held on November 20 inthe city of Bogotá, in order to raise funds to support programs aimed at improving the quality of education of children and adolescents in the country, especially those who are most vulnerable in conditions such as those of Afro-descendants and indigenous peoples. The funds will mainly be the development of skills of social actors who are part of improving protective environments for children, the rights mainstreaming in the educational institutions and the promotion of flexible educational models that are relevant and consistent with the contexts.
In the last 177 years life expectancy in Colombia rose from 27 years to 75 years old, this is the result of better public services and health. Family planning, education and participation of women in the labour market have been crucial.  The population grew from 1’381.135 to 46’000.000 inhabitants. 

Every minute a new Colombian born.

 Read more:

http://noticias.unicefcolombia.com/unicef10k2011/

Registration: http://www.unicef10k.com/

Luz Andrea Medina

Indigenous Children

www.semana.com  26/09/2011

 13 indigenous children died of starvation

 This is a terrible drama of indigenous children of Puerto Gaitán,Meta. Despite being the city that receives more royalties for oil in the country, in the first half of this year, 13 infants died of starvation.

Semana´ report (Colombian magazine) detailed how infant mortality rates in the area of Puerto Gaitan in the department ofMetaare three times the national average, with 61 deaths per 1,000 children.

Angela Maria Robledo criticized the ICBF’s traditional food aid programs, on Tuesday telling Semana, “this will not get better with milk and biscuits, like the ICBF is doing.”

Most of the children who die in the region are from Sikuani indigenous communities living in some of the nine reserves in the area.

According to Robledo, she wrote to the ICBF last year asking why they had not produced a report into malnutrition in indigenous communities.

Read more:

 http://www.semana.com/nacion/fisica-hambre/164662-3.aspx

http://www.semana.com/nacion/llegar-hasta-resguardos-evitar-estos-ninos-mueran/164839-3.aspx

Child soldiers

verdadabierta.com.  27/09/2011

 The children recruited by ’El Alemán’

 ”El Aleman” accepted responsibility for the forced recruitment of 309 children during the reading of charges against him.

The Court of Justice and Peace inBogota indicted Fredy Rendón Herrera aka ‘El Aleman’, former head of Elmer Cardenas United Autodefenses Forces of Colombia for the recruitment of 309 children.

During the hearing, the reading of the charges against Rendón Herrera, former paramilitary leader accepted responsibility for the recruitment of adolescents, thus ending one phase of the trial in Justice and Peace. The next step is the hearing of reparation to victims, many of them absent from the stage of investigation and prosecution.

Read more:

http://verdadabierta.com/component/content/article/83-juicios/3570-los-menores-reclutados-por-el-aleman/

The formulas against the Recruitment: http://verdadabierta.com/index.php?option=com_content&id=362

 Kidnapped Children

Paislibre.org.  30/09/2011

This year 21 children have been kidnapped in the country

According to a report from the Colombian organisation. Pais Libre, in Arauca, where Nohora Valentina Muñoz was kidnapped ( the daughter of the mayor of Fortul), in the last three years have been kidnapped four children.

“During the first half of this year,  Arauca was the sixth department most affected by the kidnapping, after Vichada, Valle, Nariño, Antioquia and Caqueta, a total of 23, 20, 18, 14, 11 and 10 cases respectively ”said Pais Libre.
Over the past four years have been kidnapped in the country a total of 168 children, distributed as follows: 2008 (73), 2009 (25), 2010 (49) and 2011 (21) cut on 31 July.

Read more:

http://www.paislibre.org/alfa/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1732:este-ano-han-sido-secuestrados-21-ninos-en-el-pais&catid=10:lo-que-dicen-los-medios&Itemid=32

http://www.paislibre.org/alfa/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1730&Itemid=31&lang=es

http://www.semana.com/nacion/este-ano-han-sido-secuestrados-21-ninos-pais/165045-3.aspx

 Colombian´cense

Semana.com.  31/05/2011

We 46’000 .000 of millions of Colombians

In the last 177 years life expectancy in Colombia rose from 27 years to 75 years old, this is the result of better public services and health. Family planning, education and participation of women in the labour market have been crucial.  The population grew from 1’381.135 to 46’000.000 inhabitants. 

Every minute a new Colombian born.

Read more:

http://www.semana.com/multimedia-nacion/llegamos-46000000-habitantes/4114.aspx

Luz Andrea Medina

Sexual violence against girls and women

www.amnesty.org  21/09/2011

 Colombia is failing victims of sexual violence:

Colombian authorities have not effectively addressed the lack of justice for female survivors of sexual violence during the armed conflict, NGO Amnesty International has stated in a report released last 21st of September 2011.

The report titled “This is what we demand: That there be justice,” gives statistics of cases of sexual violence against women as a part of the armed conflict, condemns the impunity of the perpetrators, details particular cases and gives recommendations of what Colombian justice authorities should do to address the issue.

“In Colombia, women and girls are often treated like trophies of war. They are raped, subjected to sexual abuse to silence and punish them by all sides of the conflict,” said Susan Lee, Amnesty’s regional program director forAmerica.

 In 2010 the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Science carried out 20,142 examinations of possible cases of sexual violence, compared with 12,732 cases in 2000. However, only 109 of these cases were classified as being related to the armed conflict, which highlights the invisibility of these crimes. Furthermore when the women have the courage to report a case of rape or sexual violence, it is rarely investigated effectively.

 Read more:

 Report: http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/report/colombian-authorities-fail-survivors-sexual-violence-2011-09-21 (English version)

Report: http://www.amnesty.org/es/news-and-updates/autoridades-colombianas-fallan-sobrevivientes-violencia-sexual-2011-09-21  (Spanish version)

 Document Access to justice for women for victims of sexual violence (May 2011): http://www.dejusticia.org/index.php?modo=interna&tema=antidiscriminacion&publicacion=985

 Forced displacement

codhes.org.  19/09/2011

  90,000 Colombians displaced so far this year

 During the first half of 2011, approximately 89,750 people (about 17,950 families) were displaced in Colombia by violence and intimidation against civilians occurred in the middle internal armed conflict and attributed post demobilisation groups, guerrillas, and sometimes to acts or omissions of the police.

 There is not a significant variation of the statistics of internal displacement between the last year of the Uribe administration and the first of President Juan Manuel Santos.

 The NGO state neo-paramilitary groups and criminal gangs such as the “Aguilas Negras,” “Los Rastrojos” and “Los Machos” were responsible for most of the forced displacement, followed by guerrilla groups and the Colombian army.

It also singled out the guerrillas for their use of anti-personnel landmines and indiscriminate weaponry and for their forced recruitment of children and teenagers.

 Read more:

Codhes report: http://codhes.org/images/stories/pdf/codhes%20informa%20resumen%20ejecutivo%20bolet%C3%ADn%20no%2078.pdf

 Displaced Children

Lanacion.com.co.  14/09/2011

 Pequeñas voces, Film

 Film director Jairo Carillo launches Colombia‘s first full-length 3D animated film “Pequeños Voces” on September 16, 

Despite it’s light-hearted, colorful, and three dimensional appearance, the film centers around the grave theme of forcefully displaced children aged 8-13 years old, told through their stories, fears, and dreams.

The story was first made into a 19 minute short film, and in 2003 was shown in the International Venice Film Festival where it received very good reviews. Seven years later, and with 56 more minutes of footage, “Pequeñas Voces” has achieved the prestige of beingColombia’s first 3D animated film. The film will also be launched in movie theatres throughoutFrance, soon after it’s debut inColombia.

 Read more:

 http://www.lanacion.com.co/2011/09/14/pequenas-voces-se-estrena-en-francia/

 See: video trailer

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b18r3nmTZt0&feature=player_embedded#!

Luz Andrea Medina

Abortion

www.guttmacher.org.  07/09/2011

 Nearly all abortions performed in Colombiaare conducted illegally

According to a new study released by The Guttmacher Institute and Fundacion Orientame, 99.9 % of the abortions inColombiaare illegal, despite a2006 Constitutional Courtruling which allows abortions in certain circumstances.  The report entitled, “Unintended Pregnancy and Induced Abortion inColombia: Causes and Consequences,” which detailed the grave status of abortions inColombia.

According to the report,Colombiahas the highest rate of abortions in all ofLatin America– 39 abortions per 1,000 women — meaning nearly one out of 25 Colombian women of reproductive age have an abortion. The study also found that 29% of all pregnancies inColombiaresult in an abortion.

The number of abortions rose nearly 40% from 1989 to 2008, which the study attributed to the increase in women of reproductive age. Of the estimated 400,000 abortions performed inColombiain 2008, “only about 322 (.08%) were reported as legal procedures.”

Read more:

 http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/Unintended-Pregnancy-Colombia.pdf English version

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/Embarazo-no-deseado-Colombia.pdf Spanish version

Displaced children and Education

www.UNHCR.org. 02/08/2011

Lebara supports education for displaced children in Colombia.

A leading European telecoms operator, Lebara, has this week launched a fund-raising drive to support UNHCR-run programmes to help more than 100,000 displaced children go to school in six countries around the world.

The funds will be used to help forcibly displaced children in Colombia,Ghana,India,Pakistan, thePhilippines andTurkey, including support for school-related costs such as uniforms, transport and books. The donation will also provide language training, vocational skills and education for infants.

Lebara’s assistance will also help UNHCR increase the number of children attending school and empower girls by promoting their access to education. “We are grateful for this crucial support from Lebara. Together we can give children affected by displacement access to this basic right of education,” said Roland Schilling, UNHCR’s representative in theUnited Kingdom.

Read more:

http://www.unhcr.org/4e380a8b6.html
http://www.lebara.com/1million

Child abuse

www.eltiempo.com  09/08/2011

 A Colombian court orders the Catholic Church to pay  430 millions Colombian pesos, as compensation to the families of two victims of a pedophile priest.  This is the first time the Colombian Catholic Church has been held financially liable for sexual abuse committed by its priest. The priest sexually abused the children in June2007 inLibano. The children, 7 and 9, were placed in the care of the priest due to their families’ economic difficulties. The children’s complaints led to a long investigation and the priest was finally convicted of rape and sent to 18 years in prison.

Read more:

http://www.eltiempo.com/justicia/condena-contra-la-iglesia-catolica-por-sacerdotes-pederastas_10125992-4

 http://caracol.com.co/nota.aspx?id=1528781

Child porn

www.ago.state.ms.us 06/09/2011

 A Marion County man is behind bars today after being sentenced for possession of child pornography, announced Attorney General Jim Hood. Timothy Anderson, age 50, ofColombia, appeared in Marion County Circuit Court before Judge Anthony A. Mozingo on Friday (September 2). Andersonentered an open plea, meaning he threw himself upon the mercy of the court.  Judge Mozingo sentencedAndersonto ten years, with five years to serve behind bars.  He will have to register as a sex offender upon his release.

 Read more:

 http://www.ago.state.ms.us/index.php/press/releases/colombia_resident_going_to_jail_for_possession_of_child_porn/

 Teen pregnancy

www.rcnradio.com. 29/08/2011

 Six thousand five hundred girls under the age of 14 get pregnant every year in Colombia

 According to the country’s presidential adviser on women’s issues,CristinaPlazas, teen pregnancy is a high priority issue due to its negative impact on economic and social development.

In collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund, Plazas will work to ensure that sexual and reproductive health is a priority issue for all successful candidates of the upcoming October elections

 Read more:

 http://www.rcnradio.com/node/105237#

Luz Andrea Medina

Children´s Health

www.cali.gov.co, 17/08/2011

Healthy School Shops in Cali, a model for Latin America

 Caliis a national model for the implementation of the Law of obesity and strategies to promote healthy eating and a pioneer in educational institutions inLatin Americain the collective development of guidelines for Public Policy for Food Security and Nutrition through the implementation of the program: Healthy School Shops.

USAID and the state University of Portland in Oregon, United States and the Collaborating Centre of the World Health Organization (WHO) have highlighted that the experience of urban health in Cali is an example for other countries.
With 270 public primary educational centres benefitting in Cali and 99,750 children impacted by the Program for Promotion of healthy eating, the program has achieved its goals by transforming the habits of consumption and supply of food with the implementations of Healthy School Shops, Santiago de Cali is positioning itself as the health capital of America.

Read more:

http://www.cali.gov.co/educacion/publicaciones.php?id=41014

Children’s education

mineducacion.gov.co. 19/08/2011

Free education to all students from 2012

The Minister of Education, María Fernanda Campo, announced during the Regional Meeting inBogota that from 2012 free education will be available to all students who are enrolled between grade zero and grade 11 in state educational establishments. It means that students should not make any payment for student cards, course fees, and any other costs.

The free education is the allocation of additional resources by the Government to ensure that students at state educational establishments enrolled in grades 0-11 do not pay tuition fees or any additional services.

Read more:

http://www.mineducacion.gov.co/cvn/1665/w3-article-279832.html

Child victims of conflict

colombiassh.org  31/07/2011

Risks for indigenous and Afro-Colombian children and adolescents in Nariño, Córdoba, Antioquia and Putumayo:

InMedellin, the Public Ministry expressed concern about increasing acts of violence targeting children and adolescents. Both ethnic groups and children remain particularly vulnerable in the context of armed conflict.  According to the local Ombudsman “from 1 January to 20 July, 133 children and adolescents have been killed, mostly in the Comuna 13 sector.” Also, 53 cases of threats against children and adolescents were recorded.

Read more:

http://www.colombiassh.org/site/IMG/pdf/Humanitarian_Bulletin_19_20_4_-_31_july.pdf