Strengthening the protection of children’s rights in Paraguay
“For us, the UPR is both an opportunity to make our voices heard and an opportunity to collaborate,” Cynthia Florentin.
Cynthia Florentin is the executive director of the Coordinadora por los Derechos de la Niñez y la Adolescencia (CDIA), a network comprised of various organisations dedicated to promoting and protecting the rights of children and adolescents in the Republic of Paraguay. Having started her career as a clinical and social psychologist, Cynthia had always felt a strong interest in work that involved serving her community. It was this work that encouraged her to begin analysing the effects that different living conditions and public policies had on the rights of the communities around her, specifically the rights of children and adolescents. Once she began working more actively in this field, she realised the gravity of the challenges she and her colleagues would face in improving the conditions and policies in place for Paraguayan citizens.
Child protection
Reflecting on all the recent progress regarding the rights of children and adolescents in Paraguay, Cynthia notes that significant advances have been made in the regulatory sphere, specifically in the protection of and prevention against violence against children and adolescents.
Despite these advances, official data continue to show that high levels of sexual abuse against children and adolescents persist in Paraguay, as well as alarming rates of early unions and child marriages.
‘The programmes or regulations that have been updated in recent years remain insufficient and ineffective in addressing the problems of violence against children and adolescents," Cynthia observs.
During Universal Periodic Review of Paraguay in 2021, several States issued recommendations to strengthen the country’s response to sexual abuse and gender-based violence. Spain urged improved measures to prevent and address violence against children and adolescents, while Italy called for stronger legal and regulatory frameworks.
These recommendations highlighted the need for enhanced legal protections and accountability, contributing to reforms such as tougher penalties for sexual abuse of minors and expanded prevention guidelines and awareness campaigns by public institutions.
Access to education
Education is another area where progress and challenges continue to coexist.
During Paraguay’s third UPR, several recommendations called for stronger measures to address inequalities affecting marginalised populations and improve access to education. Peru urged Paraguay to promote equal opportunities for indigenous children to access quality education, while Serbia called for improved educational conditions for children in rural areas.
In recent years, Paraguay has significantly increased school enrolment rates, which Cynthia describes as an “important milestone” in the education sector. However, enrolment remains low among children and adolescents in rural and indigenous communities.
Despite this progress, the recommendations of the 3rd cycle are only partially implemented. Cynthia notes that school exclusion rates among indigenous children and adolescents remain high, exceeding those in the rest of the country.
The role of CSOs in the UPR
Despite these difficulties, CDIA and its member organisations continue to work on developing programmes aimed at raising awareness about violence prevention, strengthening community protection mechanisms, and promoting educational development, amongst other human rights advocacy actions. However, Cynthia is keen to point out that the role of civil society is not to replace the state, but to work side by side with it.
“We are here to support the implementation and updating process, as well as the development of public policies,” she explains.
Therefore, one of the CDIA’s priorities is to help facilitate dialogue, support political processes, and ensure that citizens’ voices are heard and respected in decision-making.
Through Paraguay’s participation in the UPR, CSOs such as the CDIA can offer states their own independent perspectives on the human rights situation in Paraguay, something Cynthia considers extremely valuable.
For civil society, the UPR “is a way of making the voice of its citizens heard and of supporting the process of implementing both public policies and recommendations”.
Looking ahead
Looking ahead, Cynthia believes it is essential to maintain and strengthen the strong networks and collaboration between civil society organisations, including those made up of children, adolescents and young people.
By working together and fostering open dialogue with the State, groups such as the CDIA hope to continue promoting and advancing the protection of the rights of children and adolescents in Paraguay.