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Abstract:
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The thesis analyzes street children's rights, as articulated by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and as applied in Buenos Aires, Argentina through a municipal program for street children, the Centro de Atencion Integral a la Ninez y Adolescencia (CAINA). The thesis explores the evolution of the various attitudes and paradigms toward street children leading to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and identifies the residual presence of those earlier paradigms among the practices of actors and institutions affecting street children's ability to exercise their rights. The thesis explores the participatory rights guaranteed by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and suggests means to implement those rights through a theoretical analysis of citizenship and democratic participation.
The thesis recognizes CAINA has ameliorated many of the harsh conditions in which street children live; however, it has not successfully enabled children to leave the streets. Moreover, street children's participation in CAINA often fails to promote their common interests, because participation by street children at CAINA is focused on independent, individual expression, rather than on dialogue among street children. Nonetheless, street children's participation at CAINA has positively affected their self-esteem and has provided important information about the children's lives.
The thesis investigation notes violation of street children's rights largely is a result of structural poverty in children's neighborhoods of origin, and recommends public and private organizations should consolidate and coordinate their efforts to promote street children's rights. Among the findings in the thesis is the recognition street children's attendance at the municipal program is erratic; indeed, street children attend multiple assistance programs throughout the city. Moreover, public and private assistance programs for street children generally fail to communicate; hence, public institutions dedicated to street children often are fragmented or overlap. In short, coordination and cooperation among programs addressed to street children should improve their effectiveness substantially.
The thesis also recommends children should be encouraged to participate in establishing CAINA's goals, in evaluating the program and in promoting their interests so their attendance may become more consistent and so they will feel a sense of ownership in the institution. The investigation concludes CAINA should enable children to dialogue with each other and with the public to identify and communicate their interests. In that regard, CAINA should link children with organizations that promote their social inclusion. Through dialogue and participation, CAINA can empower street children to begin to determine the direction of their own lives rather than have it dictated by the multitude of hostile influences they frequently confront. |