CONTENTS 4 6
Mayama Dibujando un Mañana
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Save the Children 1. CONTEXT Challenges for Sustainable Development Goal 5 “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls” in Latin America and the Caribbean
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2. RATIONALE Empowerment: Cornerstone for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 5
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3. OBJECTIVES
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4. EXPECTED OUTCOMES
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5. FORMAT
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6. KEY TARGET CONSTITUENCIES
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7. SPEAKERS
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8. OUTREACH
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9. PROPOSED AGENDA
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10. LOGISTICS
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11. DATE, TIME AND VENUE 12. CONTACT INFORMATION AND RSVP LOCAL POINT
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REFERENCES
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
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Mayama, A.C.
their families. These years are used for skilldeveloping, prevention and education for peace, with goals that children do not suffer from marginalization, early pregnancy, educational
is a civil society organization based in Jalisco, Mexico founded in 2008 by a group of individuals concerned about the situation of abandonment, orphanhood and marginalization of Mexican children. Ever since, Mayama, A.C. has focused its work to help ensure that children and their families suffering from violence, poverty, abuse and exclusion develop skills to overcome the difficulties of their social context and improve their quality of life. Through the search of developing individual capabilities, children and their families become agents of transformative social, economic and cultural change. Mayama, A.C. works with a systemic education model that operates for five and a half years with every child and 4
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Dibujando un Mañana, A.C.
is a civil society organization based in Mexico founded in 1997 which obtains and channels resources to support institutions working in the well-being and development of Mexican girls and boys. With a network of over 350 institutions, the organization has successfully benefited more than 540,000 children. The organization seeks to generate a positive social impact for a healthier and happy childhood in Mexico. In a program established in partnership with the company SC Johnson, called “You Can Help Too”, Dibujando un mañana supports homeless and at-risk girls in our country so they fulfill their basic needs through capacity-building so they become young women of good with solid
values, as well as cornerstones of healthy and happy societies. Comprehensive care is necessary to ensure that the rights of children, girls and young people are met. The program also seeks to transform girls’ lives in all areas through the understanding of personal stories that help them become empowered and resilient. Through this partnership with the private sector, Dibujando un mañana also contributes to the fulfillment of the SDG 17, Partnerships for the goals. 6
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ian crises that are discussed in the United Nations Security Council. The organization will serve as moderator during the event and provide the general conclusions of the event.
Save the Children Save the Children’s global advocacy office in New York advocates at the United Nations to protect, respect and realize children’s rights. The organization engages the United Nations Headquarters, UN agencies based in New York such as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and national missions to the UN, on humanitarian and development issues. The office works on priority issues of child survival, education and protection, especially in relation to the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development which is being led in New York, and to humanitar-
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Women and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
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1. CONTEXT Challenges for Sustainable Development Goal 5 “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls” in Latin America and the Caribbean ties is paid most immediately by children and young people themselves, which has a long-term impact in their lives, affecting generations to come and undermining the strength of their societies (UNICEF: 2015).
The recent adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals marks an important standpoint for the international community to achieve a more just and livable world for all by 2030, particularly for young girls. This adoption calls upon Member States and other stakeholders to take action and adopt comprehensive national and local sustainable development policies to prevent young girls suffering from all kinds of discrimination, exploitation, violence and deprivation.
In LAC, poverty has a young face. Children and young people display alarming levels of poverty-much higher than other age groups (ECLAC, 2005).
Poverty, gender-based violence, education, lack of identity and human trafficking are among the greatest obstacles to global advancement and well-being of young girls. In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), these issues highly impact young girls’ futures, making it necessary to direct efforts toward tackling the root causes through collaborative action.
a) Poverty:
Facts of children and young people in LAC with focus in Mexico:
The countries with the lowest incomes around the globe continue to concentrate poverty and disadvantage, but many impoverished young people and children also live in middle income-countries, in which inequality persists. LAC is among the most unequal regions in the world. Deprivation continues to be concentrated in remote rural areas and urban slums, highly affecting marginalized groups and minorities, in all of which young girls suffer the consequences the most. Too many children and young people –especially young girls- remain excluded from the progress of the past 25 years. The cost of these inequali-
• In the region, 45% of children are affected by at least one moderate to severe deprivation, which means that almost 81 million people aged under 18 suffer from child poverty (ECLAC: 2011). • Throughout LAC, 17.9% of all children were living in extreme poverty in 2007 —for a total of more than 32 million. At the regional level, of the more than 32 million extremely poor children, 22.7 mil10
lion suffer a single severe deprivation. With overall child poverty, the situation is similar: the violation of the rights of 53% of the 80.9 million children living in poverty consists of a single moderate or severe deprivation and only one of every five poor children (UNICEF: 2010). • In the urban areas of the region, one in three young people are considered poor. Socioeconomic conditions and urban/ rural location strongly impact access to and quality of available education. Employment and income levels among LAC youth are worse than they were in the 1990s. Young people in LAC account for 20% of employment. Overall, 25% of young people aged 15 to 29 (of whom only 2% are young men) work in the domestic service sector, which is characterized by multiple discrimination. Indigenous youth constitute one of the most vulnerable groups among youth in general (ECLAC: 2013). • According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in Mexico 21.4 million children and adolescents live in poverty out of which 5.1 million live in extreme poverty. Poverty continues registering at magnitude greater in households with children.
(UNICEF: 2011). Gender-based violence undermines the health, dignity, security and autonomy of its victims, yet it remains shrouded in a culture of silence (UNFPA: 2015). Worldwide, more than 700 million women alive today were married as children (below 18 years of age). Of those women, more than 1 in 3—or some 250 million—were married before 15. In LAC, young girls and women are more likely than boys or men to experience sexual violence generally. In addition, physical and sexual violence against women and girls has a host of reproductive health consequences that are different than the consequences of violence against men (PAHO: 2013). Gender-based violence hinges on three principles: first, violence against women and girls is addressed as a matter of equality and non-discrimination between women and men; second, multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination are recognized as increasing the risk that some women will experience targeted, compounded or structural discrimination; and third, the interdependence of human rights is reflected in efforts such as those that seek to address the causes of violence against women related to the civil, cultural, economic, political and social spheres (United Nations: 2011).
b) Gender-based violence:
UNICEF defines gender-based violence as a term used for describing harmful acts perpetrated against a person based on socially ascribed differences between males and females. Examples of gender-based violence affecting women and girls throughout the lifecycle include but are not limited to: sexselective abortion, differential access to food and services, sexual exploitation and abuse, child marriage, female genital mutilation/cutting, sexual harassment, dowry/ bride price abuse, honor killing, domestic or intimate partner violence, deprivation of inheritance or property, and elder abuse
Facts of children and young people in LAC with focus in Mexico: Abuse against young girls is a present and disturbing reality in LAC, since every year more than six million suffer severe abuse in the countries in the region and more than 80,000 die from domestic violence (Status of girls and adolescents in Latin America: 11
2012). Violence against young women remains a devastating reality in LAC, without generational changes are observed in its prevalence. Available studies show that, depending on the country, between 19% and 37% of women between 15 and 19 have experienced physical or sexual violence (Status of girls and adolescents in Latin America: 2012).
donment- remains hidden and sometimes, socially approved”.
c) Lack of identity:
Worldwide, 78% of the richest children under 5 years old have their births registered but only 49% of the poorest enjoy the right to an official identity. And while 79 percent of children living in cities are registered, this is true for only 50% of those living in the countryside (UNICEF: 2015).
In Mexico, according to the National Development System for Families (DIF), registered cases of child and adolescent abuse correspond to 32% of physical violence; 23% to omission of cares and 20% of psychological abuse. According to the National Youth and Children’s Consultation of 2003, 28% (3 million) of young girls and boys stated that they were victims of violence in the household, while 16% (1.6 million) pointed out
Approximately 14% of births are unregistered in LAC according to estimates by UNICEF (2001). Children who lack an official birth certificate can be denied access to social services, including enrolling in school and accessing health services. Lack of registration births is more common in girls than boys and many of the work to register these children is led by non-state actors in the field (Mayama: 2015).
Facts of children and young people in LAC with focus in Mexico: The lack of registration and identification of children in the region is the first barrier to the exercise of the right to identity. According to estimates by UNICEF and Plan International in LAC, approximately 10% of children had no birth records in 2009. Around 18% of children below 5 years living in rural areas are not registered, compared with 8% of those living in urban areas. This severely impacts their future role in society.
acts of violence at school. In this same survey, 3.5% said they suffered forms of sexual abuse at home or at school. According to UNICEF Mexico “…violence in Mexico highly influences school dropout and is a major cause of infant deaths. Thousands of children and adolescents in Mexico grow up in a context of everyday violence which has profound consequences and ends each year with the lives of hundreds of them. Much of this violence -which includes physical, sexual, psychological discrimination, violence and aban-
In 2006, according to estimates by the Inter-American Development Bank in LAC more than 1.3 million births a year were not officially registered. Some 6.5 million children in the region have no birth certificate. 12
A male young boy living in the urban area only dedicated to studying and whose parents have 12 years of schooling and do not belong to the poorest sector, has a 97% chance to attend the school system. While a girl working in rural areas and belonging to an ethnic group, whose parents are illiterate and in the poorest 20% of the income distribution, has just a 22% chance of being in the school system (Emilio José Ramón Porta and Laguna Pallais, UNICEF and DEMI: 2007).
d) Education:
Nearly 9 in 10 children from the wealthiest 20% of households in the world’s least developed countries attend primary school –compared to only about 6 in 10 from the
According to Otilia Lux de Coti. (UNICEF: 2007) six years of formal primary education would enable young girls: poorest households. Regardless of wealth, girls continue to be held back from schooling, which is identified, both at the primary and secondary levels (UNICEF: 2015).
•To improve the conditions of family health. •Give better nutrition to children. •Reduce child morbidity and mortality. •Increase life expectancy and improve the standard of living of the population. •Develop skills to provide job opportunities as well as family, community and national productivity. •Promote a change of attitudes and behaviors of both the child and the people around her.
Delayed schooling can be viewed as an indicator or warning factor for exclusion as the situation is generated and then accumulates to the point where students in some schools are studying with 1, 2, 3 and more years of grade repetition or lag between their school grade and the normal age of study (UNESCO: 2013).
Facts of children and young people in LAC with focus in Mexico:
In 2010 the average schooling in Mexico corresponds to 8.7 years (incomplete secondary). UNICEF in 2012 reported that 6 million children in Mexico between 3 and 17 years were out of school. Of this total, 1 million 173 thousand children were working and not studying. In Mexico according to the National Institute of Education Evaluation, school dropout in 2010-2011 corresponded to 0.7%% in primary students; %5.6 in secondary stu-
According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in LAC 2.1 million boys, girls and adolescents in the region are not in school or are at serious risk of dropping out. According to UNESCO, a great number of young girls are withdrawing from school to assume domestic work and care for younger siblings or elderly household members or by teenage pregnancy and / or early marriages. 13
are predominately female, in particular the use of children and young girls in prostitution or pornography. International attention is increasingly focusing on the trafficking of young girls for exploitation in prostitution and other worst forms of child labor. Girls are also victims of bonded labor and slavery-like practices. They can be exposed to violence and abuse, which are specific risks that occur frequently in domestic work.
dents and 14.9% beyond secondary students.
e) Human trafficking and forced labor: The United Nations today defines human trafficking as “the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation.� (UNODC: 2011).
Young girls in the region are concentrated in domestic activities, which often results in an overload of very early time for them, but also, especially for low-income families, reducing spending dedicated to caring for younger siblings, carrying an invisible contribution to the domestic economy (Status of girls and adolescents in Latin America: 2012).
Women and girls together account for about 70 per cent of all human trafficking victims detected globally, with girls representing two out of every three child trafficking victims (UN Women: 2015). LAC is a source and destination region for human trafficking.
According to the International Labour Organization (ILO) in the case of LAC, the percentage of girls aged 5 to 14 who work in domestic activities is 15% higher than that of children. An ILO study of 2009 showed that in all countries surveyed girls worked more hours per week than boys.
Facts of children and young people in LAC with focus in Mexico:
Other deprivations in health, education, nutrition, safety, representation and many other issues highly impact young girls’ lives, as such, a central priority in the success of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development shall at all times focus on economic and social justice, taking into account that these issues are multidimensional.
The Coalition against Trafficking of Women and Girls in Latin America and the Caribbean (CATW-LAC) estimates that over five million girls and women have been trapped by these criminal networks in the region, and another 10 million are in danger of falling into their hands. In LAC, children and young people rely on more household economy through child labor. Young girls experience the most degrading forms of work. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO, 2009) some of the worst forms of forced labor 14
2. RATIONALE Empowerment: Cornerstone for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 5 Empowerment is the process of enabling people to increase control over their lives, factors and decisions that shape their lives to increase their resources and quality of life. This process is key and fundamental to achieve progress in all societies and it should start in the early ages of a person’s development. As such, this parallel-event seeks to share multistakeholders’ best practices –with two particular cases from non-governmental organizations- and work in deliberative actions that lead to the empowerment of young girls, which further has an impact on their development as women in cultural, economic, political and social terms at all levels.
Empowerment of young girls and women is inseparable from development. This development should rely on and be strengthened by the access of water, food, housing, participation, education, employment and freedom from violence throughout their lives. As stated in the Sustainable Development Goals, we envisage a world of universal respect for human rights and human dignity, as well as a world that invests in its children and youth and in which everyone grows free from violence and exploitation. We acknowledge the particular importance of Goal 5 on ending all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere, as well as eliminating all harmful practices, such as child marriage, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation.
This vision has been reaffirmed by the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 5. Women and young girls should be at the center of sustainability and equality should be embedded across legal, political, economic and cultural systems. Educational programs in gender equality play a key role in this scenario, as they are proactive measures to cut the roots of gender discrimination wherever they appear, particularly during childhood and adolescence.
We must ensure that young girls, especially those in vulnerable contexts, have life-time opportunities that help them acquire the knowledge and skills needed to exploit to participate fully in society. We must provide children and youth with a nurturing environment for the full realization of their rights and capabilities. To do this, we must focus 15
on the role local and national governments play, but especially in the valuable and progressive contributions of non-state actors and United Nations entities. This parallel-event also intends to highlight the importance of changing mindset across sectors to empower young girls in LAC through educational strategies and techniques that help ensure challenges to the Sustainable Development Goal 5 will be overcome. These strategies should consider:
now ready to continue to work in favor of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
• Strengthening educational programs at all levels. • Encouraging the implementation of programs focused on human development. •The importance of partnerships, consisting of various non-governmental actors such as CSOs; the private sector; academia, in search for effective solutions.
As a result of this scenario, this parallel event will present two cases of successful non-governmental organizations working on the empowerment of young women through innovative programs.
Case study: Role and leadership of non-governmental organizations in Mexico In order to succeed in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, it is essential to include all social actors in the dialogues, monitoring and evaluation of this action plan. Enabling environments for non-state actors guarantee an inclusive, transformative and innovative system in which policies translate into action. Nongovernmental organizations have had a primary role in the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, and they are 16
3. OBJECTIVES This parallel-event will seek to use concrete examples to demonstrate multi-stakeholder leadership in empowering girls in LAC by using the successful cases and best practices of Mayama, A.C. (working at the local level) and Dibujando un Mañana (working at the national level) in Mexico, looking to contribute to the realization of Sustainable Development Goal 5 on “achieving gender equality and empower all women and girls”.
tential partners. • To expand collaboration between United Nations entities and nongovernmental organizations to coordinate efforts in favor of gender equality in LAC, particularly for young girls. • To bring about the importance of multi-stakeholder action within the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development through the sharing of experiences in the field, especially in programs focused on quantitative and qualitative efforts.
This event also envisages: • The welcoming of the adoption of a transformative and universal 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by Member States of the United Nations. • To present the main findings on the challenges Sustainable Development Goal 5 faces. To do this, the event will focus on five particular issues affecting young LAC girls: a) poverty; b) genderbased violence; c) lack of identity; d) human trafficking and forced labor and e) school dropouts. • To discuss the relation between these above mentioned challenges with the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly at the national and local levels. • To further dialogue on the necessary strategies needed to empower young LAC girls, as well as changing mindset to overcome challenges that affect them in the region. • To position non-governmental organizations’ role in participating in the new sustainable development agenda through the support of private sector, national and local governments, particularly in innovative programs that focus on gender equality and innovative education. • To share and communicate these efforts to support the overall implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development –especially Goal 5- so as to gather support and momentum for po17
4. EXPECTED OUTCOMES The expected output of this parallel-event is that the comments and inputs made by the participants will assist in further refining the efforts made at the regional, national and local levels towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 5.
Among other outcomes, this parallel-event expects to achieve: • Inputs and suggestions from different stakeholders to further collective efforts towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 5. • Increase awareness on the situation of young LAC girls, making special emphasis on the need to end all forms of violence, discrimination and other conditions of vulnerability that threat their personal and human development. • Expand the participation of all stakeholders in the implementation and follow-up mechanisms of the Sustainable Development Goals at all levels. • Share best practices from non-governmental organizations working in the field, especially through the help of innovative educational programs that further human development. • Build a proposal to be presented to Mexico’s National Institute of Women (INM) and Jalisco’s Institute of Women (IJM) with the main actions suggested through this event to end all forms of violence, discrimination and other conditions of vulnerability that affect LAC young girls, particularly those in Mexico. • Participate in initiatives that support multi-stakeholder efforts to promote young girls’ empowerment in the region.
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5. FORMAT The parallel-event will be led by a panel of speakers comprising a moderator and three key note speakers, which have recently taken action in empowering young girls at the regional, national and local levels. Following presentations by the panelists, the floor will be opened for questions to Member States or members from the audience who wish to further their knowledge on the discussed topic. This process will be facilitated by the panel moderator.
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6. KEY TARGET CONSTITUENCIES Member States It is expected that Member States of the United Nations - particularly LAC countries -will attend the parallel-event with the purpose of furthering their knowledge on the work led by non-governmental organizations at the regional, national and local levels in empowering young LAC girls. This also envisages bringing about the work led by non-state actors in the implementation process of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 5.
United Nations agencies, programmes and funds It is hoped that United Nations stakeholders will attend the event and share their best practices and work led in favor of young girls within the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development framework. The event seeks to promote partnerships between non-governmental organizations and United Nations agencies, programmes or funds working in favor of the human rights of young girls in LAC.
Non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations and other stakeholders It is expected from all non-state actors working in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as other focused on gender equality, children and youth to assist the event. The event seeks to outreach the impact of non-state actors in development and in the achievement of gender equality, as such we hope these stakeholders actively engaged in the event.
Audience The event will welcome other interested members working on gender equality, children and development. However, priority will be given to Member States of the United Nations, as well as non-governmental organizations attending CSW60.
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7. SPEAKERS Alejandra Peña Pous, CEO at Mayama, A.C. Diana Erika Ibarra Soto, Counselor for Mexico’s National Institute of Women. María Andrea González Benassini, President at Dibujando un Mañana, A.C. Debra A. Jones, Save the Children’s Director and Representative to the United Nations
8. OUTREACH • A news bulletin on the event will be circulated (Mexico City and Jalisco, Mexico (February 2016). • The event will be advertised in the website of participant speakers and partners, as well as social media platforms prior to the event (January-March 2016). • Live tweeting will take place during the event. • Relevant materials will be distributed during the event, as well as through official websites and social media. • Presentations will be uploaded to partners’ websites, along with a brief summary of the outcome and recommendations. • A report on the event will be sent to participants and other constituencies. • A news bulletin will be published in spanish after the event to discuss the results and outcomes.
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The agenda of the meeting is as follows:
The event will be held on 15 March 2016 at 6:15 PM. It will consist of a number of presentations focused on the main topic.
9. PROPOSED AGENDA
10. LOGISTICS
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Expected number of participants: 75-100. One table for display of publications. One projector. Two microphones.
11. DATE, TIME AND VENUE
15 March 2016 6:15 – 7:30 PM United Nations Church Center, Boss Room, 8th Floor, 777 UN Plaza, New York, NY
12. CONTACT INFORMATION AND RSVP FOCAL POINT
Karol Alejandra Arámbula Carrillo International Liaison and Partnerships for Development Mayama, A.C. + 52 3314864314 internacional@mayama.org.mx
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REFERENCES
CSIS (2010) Gender based violence in Latin America. What is the relationship between gender based violence and global health? Center for Strategic and International Studies. Retrieved on December 10, 2015 from: http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/gender-based-violence-in-latin-america/ ECLAC (2011) Child Poverty Affects almost 81 Million Children in Latin America and the Caribbean. Retrieved on December 10, 2015 from: http://www.cepal.org/en/pressreleases/child-poverty-affects-almost-81-million-children-latin-america-and-caribbean Godoy, E. (2010) Latin America: Five million women have fallen prey to trafficking networks. IPS News. Retrieved on December 10, 2015 from: http://www.ipsnews.net/2010/09/latin-america-fivemillion-women-have-fallen-prey-to-trafficking-networks/ IDB (2011) Latin America and the Caribbean governments and civil society aim to eliminate underregistration of births by 2015. Inter-American Development Bank. Retrieved on December 10, 2015 from: http://www.iadb.org/en/news/news-releases/2011-09-21/identity-and-universal-birth-registration,9555.html PAHO (2013) Violence against Women in Latin America and the Caribbean. Pan American Health Organization. Retrieved on December 10, 2015 from: http://www.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_ content&view=article&id=8175:violence-against-women-latin-america-caribbean-comparative-analysis-population-data-from-12-countries&Itemid=1519&lang=es UNICEF (2012) UNICEF and UNESCO present a new report on education in Latin America and the Caribbean. UNICEF Press Centre. Retrieved on December 10, 2015 from: http://www.unicef.org/media/media_65707.html UNICEF (2012) Gender based violence in emergencies. UNICEF: Child protection from violence, exploitation and abuse. Retrieved on December 10, 2015 from: http://www.unicef.org/protection/57929_58001.html UNICEF (2005) Child Poverty in Latin America. UNICEF. Retrieved on December 10, 2015 from: http://www.unicef.org/lac/Desafios_1_ing(5).pdf UNICEF (2010) Child poverty: a priority challenge. UNICEF. Retrieved on December 10, 2015 from: http://www.unicef.org/lac/challenges10_web_version.pdf Vakis, R., Rigolini, J. and Lucchetti, L. (2015) Left Behind: Chronic Poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean. Retrieved on December 10, 2015: http://www.worldbank.org/content/dam/Worldbank/ document/LAC/chronic_poverty_overview.pdf Youth Policy (2015) Facts. Retrieved on December 10, 2015 from: http://www.youthpolicy.org/mappings/regionalyouthscenes/latinamerica/facts/#FN19
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Mayama Alejandra Peña Pous Diana Erika Ibarra Soto Karol Alejandra Arámbula Carrillo Gabriel León Barragán
Dibujando un Mañana María Andrea González Benassini Catalina Isabel Beltrán Silva Gabriela Ivette Gómez González
Save the Children Debra A. Jones Anthony Casswell
SC Johnson de México UN Online Volunteering Service Patricia Huertos Puerta Carla Archila
Editorial Design Ana Angeles Córdova
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