ECUADORIAN INDIGENOUS CHILDREN ARE VICTIMS OF DOUBLE EXCLUSION
Citizen Watch for Children and Adolescents Rights and UNICEF call the attention of authorities and society on the exclusion situation and breach of rights in all provinces that indigenous childhood faces On the total of indigenous children in the country, 77% live in poor homes, with an income per day of 2 dollars or less. The province with the highest percentage of indigenous childhood is Chimborazo, followed by Cotopaxi and Imbabura. These are some numbers found when investigating the situation of fulfillment of rights for the Ecuadorian indigenous children. The United Nations Children Fund, UNICEF, requested The Citizen Watch for Children and Adolescents, ODNA, to investigate Ecuadorian´s indigenous childhood situation on rights fulfillment.. The data reveals the inequity and exclusion that these children are suffering from. The high rates of mortality before fulfilling the 5 years of age, the limited vaccination coverage, the deficient nourishment and the fact that they grow in homes with lack of minimum conditions such as drinking water and sewage system; all vital for a healthful development, are some of the reasons why indigenous children from ages 0 to 5 years old, have a grade of 2.2 over 10 regarding their rights fulfillment . Whereas, non indigenous Ecuadorian children in the same group of age obtained 4.7 over 10. Indigenous children from 6 to 11 years old are also excluded from the State and society protection. Indigenous childhood undergoes the highest rate of mistreatment: 66% of these children are raised under a culture of punishment. The education system also discriminates them: 50% of our indigenous infancy, does not continue a high school education, in some cases this interruption happens even earlier. The opportunity of a better future for the indigenous population is jeopardized since their first years of life and it becomes worst when they reach adolescence. The investigation made by the The Citizen Watch for Children and Adolescents for UNICEF alerts about the high percentage of indigenous adolescents that are not reaching a high school level (50%). Pregnancy in adolescents plus the sum of all other issues mentioned earlier in this article, are the main causes that affect and decrease the possibilities for a higher education. In conclusion, the opportunities for indigenous children in terms of improving their living conditions are definitely less accomplished compared to the possibilities of non indigenous children. The State and society main concern has to focus their efforts to provide without exclusion of any kind, protection and attention to all children on our country. Cristian Munduate, UNICEF´s Representative for Ecuador, quotes that: “there is an urgent need to develop an intercultural dialogue between indigenous children, families, leaders and organizations, in order to assure the fulfillment of their rights. Furtherr information: UNICEF, telf. 2460330. Gabriela Malo ext. 1501, Maria Jose Proaño 095887774, Consuelo Carranza ext. 1502.
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