Argentina

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Four consecutive years of robust growth have lowered poverty and unemployment rates in Argentina substantially. But the rights of some of the country’s most vulnerable children have yet to be fully realized. About 7 per cent of the population lives on less than $1 a day; children are especially vulnerable to the effects of poverty. Wide disparities remain between various provinces.

Issues facing children in Argentina

• Infant and maternal mortality rates have improved in the last few years.
• HIV/AIDS prevalence remains low, but adolescents and women face particular risk of contracting the virus.
• Most poor children have no access to early learning activities that would prepare them for primary school.
• Primary education is almost universal, and literacy rates are high. But many students repeat grades or drop out of secondary school.
• There is a shortage of up-to-date, concrete statistics about the status of children to guide policymakers.

Activities and results for children

• After years of advocacy, a national Law for the Integral Protection of Children and Adolescents has been enacted. It lays the groundwork for a juvenile justice system and calls for institutionalized children to be integrated back into society. Each province will create mechanisms to protect children from abuse and exploitation.
• A national programme called ‘Plan Familia’ has been launched to assist poor families, ensuring that their children attend school and receive primary health care. The project will eventually reach 500,000 families.
• To promote breastfeeding, thousands of posters and leaflets were printed and distributed to health centres and pediatricians.
• Teams of experts in 24 disadvantaged towns have been trained to offer programmes on nutrition, play and reading for families with young children. In Tucumán province, 30,000 children and 7,000 pregnant women have benefited from an integrated programme to improve early childhood development.
• UNICEF supports a variety of initiatives to reduce grade repetition and drop-outs. In Buenos Aires, 4,000 disadvantaged teens have resumed their education while receiving practical job training as part of the ‘Desafío’ project.
• UNICEF is campaigning to raise public awareness of child labour and the sexual exploitation of children.
• A national media network has been formed to encourage reporting of children’s issues.
• UNICEF has introduced software that allows provincial governments to track development indicators and monitor the well-being of children.