Antecedente nacional e internacional sobre la percepción y los derechos de las niñas, los niños, los y las adolescentes

Until the middle of the XVIII Century, children were considered as miniature adults, but with Jean Jacob Rousseau the study of the development of the human being was started and the foundation was set up for the new science of Paidology (the study of children), wich focuses on the different intellectual and physical conflicts which children face, and also for other sciencies such as Paidofilaxis, Pueroculture and Pediatrics. The Society of Nations, created, in 1919, the Consultancy for the Trafficking of Women and the Protection of Children, and in Geneva, the International Union for Aid was founded in 1920. In Argentina, the First American Congress for Children was organized in 1916, and others followed. The first Declaration of Childrens Right was proclaimed in 1924 and then followed the first Ten Commandments of Childrens Rights. In Costa Rica in 1929, a project was presented for the Constitutional Congress to establish an institution for the protection of children, wich was duly enacted into law in 1930 with the name of National Institution for the Protection of Children (Patronato Nacional de la Infancia, PANI) whose duty was to oversee the welfare of minors and their physical, intellectual, moral and emotional development. In 1930, the first Declaration of the Rights for Costarrican Children was proclaimed. The creation of the PANI, the declaration of Childrens Rights, and the enactment of a Code for Infants (1932), constitute the three events that signal Costa Rica as one of the pioneers countries in Latin American and the World, in the protectionof children and mothers. At the end of the article, some of the crucial events that have happened during the decades that PANI has been working in the country are analized.

Salud sexual, SALUD REPRODUCTIVA Y ABORTO: ¿QUÉ DERECHOS?

ResumenEl aborto es un tema debatido desde hace décadas. En España, se ha aprobado recientemente la LO 2/2010, de salud sexual y reproductiva y de la interrupción voluntaria del embarazo, que implica un importante cambio en la regulación del aborto: establece un sistema de aborto a petición de la embarazada en un plazo, manteniendo determinadas indicaciones durante más tiempo. El presente artículo analiza el contenido de la salud sexual y reproductiva, los derechos de la mujer y la protección del no nacido en el Derecho Internacional, así como la jurisprudencia constitucional española y la diferencia sustancial del sistema de plazos respecto al de supuestos, la ética médica al respecto y las exigencias del consentimiento informado. Finalmente, se aborda el problema del consentimiento de los menores a la unión sexual y al aborto.AbstractAbortion is an issue that has been discussed for decades. In Spain, the Law on sexual and reproductive health and the voluntary interruption of pregnancy (LO 2/2010) has been recently passed. It implies an important change in abortion legislation: it states an abortion upon request of the pregnant woman during a predetermined period of time, while maintaining certain regulations for a long time. This article analyzes the content of sexual and reproductive health, women’s rights and the protection of the unborn under International Law, as well as the constitutional Spanish jurisprudence; the essential difference of the term-based system in regards to the assumptions system, medical ethics on this matter and the requirements of the informed consent. Lastly, the article deals with the problem of the minors’ consent to sexual union and abortion.

El respeto a la formación de la identidad como un elemento esencial del derecho humano a la identidad de las personas menores

ResumenLa identidad de una persona, adultos/as o niños/as, es un conjunto de características que particularizan a ese ser humano. Desde la infancia y hasta avanzada la edad adulta se van erigiendo rasgos que servirán para afianzar una identidad propia; la mayoría de estas características se toman a muy temprana edad y por lo tanto, debe delimitarse muy bien no solo el derecho que tienen las personas menores de edad a tener una identidad propia y estatalmente resguardada, sino también, se debe valorar y hacer respetar al derecho que tienen a formarla. Los instrumentos internacionales destinados a la protección de los derechos de las personas menoresasí como el Código de la Niñez y la Adolescencia costarricense, no delimitan claramente el derecho a la identidad en general y del todo son omisos en relación con el derecho de los/as infantes a conformar su identidad.Palabras clave: Derechos Humanos de las niñas y los niños, identidad, formación de la identidad, derecho a la identidad.AbstractThe identity of a person, adults or children, is a set of characteristics that distinguish that human being. Traits that will strengthen one’s own identity are erected from childhood to advanced adulthood; mostof these features are acquired at an early age and therefore, they should not only be delimited by the right minors have of their own and state protected identity, but also, their rights of identity formationshould be assessed and enforced. International instruments aimed at the protection of the rights of children, as well as the Costa Rican code of children and adolescents, do not clearly delimit the right to identity in general and are entirely neglectful in relation to the right of infants to shape their identity.Keywords: Human Rights of Children, identity, identity’s training, right to the identity.