TOWARDS THE XIX PAN AMERICAN CHILD CONGRESS

“ The Family: Basis for the Integral Development of Children and Adolescents”
Mexico- 2004 

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CONTEXT NOTES 

On the way towards the XIX Pan American Child Congress as a Specialized Inter-American Conference to be held in October 2004 in Mexico City with the central issue of “The Family: Basis for the Integral Development of Children and Adolescents”, the Inter-American Children’s Institute has deemed it appropriate to write this document as a way of providing -as succinctly as possible-, a number of elements that may contribute to contextualize what it is to be an instance for communication, exchange, reflection and proposals on the issue of Family in Latin America and the Caribbean. 

These “Context Notes” are aimed at those who require practical and summarized access to qualified information and points of view on some of the main problems that constitute the overall state of the situation of families in the region. These materials do not necessarily correspond to the central issues that are to be debated on the occasion of the Pan American Congress, but they contribute to form a view of the context of Family in the Region. 

Journalists, Communicators and Commentators will probably find in these notes some facts that will enable them to set a starting point for then studying in depth the issues that they regard as pertinent ones. Technicians and specialists will find in them a document to refresh information and keep making progress with regard to reflection, debate and action.   

UNITED NATIONS

ECONOMIC COMMISSION

FOR LATIN AMERICA AND

THE CARIBBEAN – ECLAC 

March 8, 2002 

* Excerpts from the document written by JAVIER ALATORRE as part of the Project entitled “ Reproductive Education and Responsible Fatherhood”. 

SUMMARY 

• The way in which many men accept fatherhood is amongst some of the socio-cultural factors that contribute to increase poverty and hinder social development. An improvement in macroeconomic indicators and a better distribution of wealth would not automatically solve many problems connected with fatherhood. Therefore, this research seeks to foster a Central American strategy to promote men’s relationships as fathers in such a way that they contribute to meet their children’s needs, as well as to attain respect for the rights of children and adolescents and the incorporation of minors into society.

• The collective practices, regulations, stereotypes and representations that define the many ways in which men become involved in sexuality, reproduction and fatherhood, are not the same within the Central American Isthmus. Nevertheless, an important number of men share a series of patterns that go against the respect for the rights of minors and against their personal development and incorporation into society.

• Many men are very reluctant to take preventive measures in order to avoid unwanted pregnancies. They use contraceptive methods limitedly and inconsistently, frequently ignore if their partners use these methods, and occasionally even object to their partners making use of them. Most of them reject the use of condoms, and particularly, the vasectomy; they generally also lack enough knowledge about reproduction, which affects the use of traditional methods.
  

• These men’s sexuality fluctuates from the subtlest forms of coercion imposed on their partners to sexual abuse and rape. Many women in the Central American Isthmus have been victims of sexual violence and coercion perpetrated by their own partners. The possibilities to negotiate on their sexual lives are limited, which leads to women having less chances of avoiding unwanted pregnancies. The relationship that a child creates with his/her father influences to a large extent their personal development and incorporation into society.

• Approximately one fourth of the total number of births taking place in the Central American Isthmus are births not legally acknowledged by the fathers. Men often have sons or daughters out of steady and emotional relationships, as a result of relationships that they themselves deem inappropriate for undertaking fatherhood responsibilities. Rejection, negligence and evasion towards these unwanted children pose a threat to the rights and welfare of minors, since they are often forced to live without knowing their fathers and having economic limitations that make them abandon school and join the workforce prematurely. Likewise, they run the risk of suffering physical and emotional damage, and of being abused and exploited during their childhood.

• The absence of the father does not necessarily condemn his sons and daughters to live in unfavorable conditions, with limitations or risks, since many women are able, in spite of all the difficulties, to compensate for that absence. However, it is necessary for our society to recognize the importance of the father in the lives of his sons and daughters, and particularly, to consider this relationship involving men independently of the relationship that a man has with his partner, his marital status, and place of residence.

• Sons and daughters mean different things for men in the region. According to the sociocultural group, they represent in some cases something important that gives meaning to their lives, or strength to the Mayan race in other cases; they are also seen as a burden sometimes, and frequently, they play a marginal and dependent role in comparison with the couple’s relationship, which loses its importance when this relationship ends.

• When men accept their fatherhood, they frequently do so by keeping an emotional distance, and by being in charge of authority and discipline. As far as the everyday care and upbringing are concerned, they tend to remain distant since the time of the pregnancy, playing a very limited role. The function that fathers most frequently fulfill is that of economically supporting their sons and daughters. However, this function is not always fulfilled, especially when the relationship with the mother ends. Facing the lack of economic support, many children abandon school and enter the workforce.

• Another characteristic that men frequently show when acting as fathers is the physical, emotional and sexual violence towards women and children. Not only does violence generate expressions of poverty that are unacceptable, such as child exploitation, but also generally excludes minors and puts them in a situation of vulnerability. Men, communities and institutions have the obligation of eliminating all the expressions of violence perpetrated by the father, who is legally responsible for his children’s welfare and health. Compared to the woman, the man is generally in possession of more resources, so he tends to be in control and to look for ways of dominating those around him.

• Amongst the problems that derive to a large extent from fatherhood, there is the one of the formation of households with female heads of family, which face more economic difficulties and more social vulnerability than those headed by men. In the whole region, the number of households headed by women fluctuates between one third and one fourth of the total. Men’s lack of commitment towards their children, whether they live together or not, forces children and adolescents to do remunerated work and to abandon school. In the worst situations, parents themselves use their children to obtain resources, and may even expose them to sexual exploitation.

* Early pregnancies are also associated with the relationship with the father in the region, due to sexual violence at home, incest and child prostitution, or physical violence perpetrated by the father.

Because of having been expelled by the dynamics imposed by the father at home -especially when this involves violence- many children are forced to face life on the streets, or committed. This situation creates the conditions for the development of delinquent organizations involving minors who join gangs, and who come from homes that are characterized by having alcoholic and violent fathers.

• Legislations in the region explicitly stipulate the responsibilities and limits for men to exercise fatherhood on fully equal terms with women. They establish the acknowledgement of fatherhood, material and emotional obligations, obligations involving care and upbringing, and the protection that men as fathers must give to their sons and daughters. In certain cases there still are gaps or contradictions that must be solved; all in all, the need to create mechanisms to ensure the effective application of existing laws is evident. Along that line, the first step is to spread the contents of the laws and the rights of children and adolescents amongst persons working in the sphere of justice, and in the community.

• To conclude, both institutions and the civil society in the Central American Isthmus have developed activities in order to include men as fathers in the prevention of unwanted pregnancies and in the satisfaction of the needs and the protection of minors. In the area of sexuality and reproductive health there have been advances as far as education, information, communication, training and provision of services are concerned. Nevertheless, it is necessary to adopt the gender perspective, identifying those mechanisms that create inequalities between men and women in the field of sexuality. Frequently, programs are designed without considering the practices, rules and representations that constitute male sexuality, which is very varied and is generally based on control and privileges over the others. 

Complete document may be found at:      http://www.cide.cl/paternidad/biblioteca.asp