Children and international migration in Latin America and the Caribbean

Child migration in the region has many contradictory aspects, as reported in the feature article of this bulletin. On the positive side, there are better educational opportunities in countries of destination and, in countries of origin, greater well-being thanks to remittances; greater protection gained by migrating away from situations of violence and social risk; and new horizons for broadening life experiences. On the negative side, there are precariousness and heightened family environment risks when the parents migrate and the children are left behind in the care of others; exposure to abuse and violation of rights during migratory processes; and possibly lower citizen status in receiving countries.

Infancia y la migración internacional en América Latina y el Caribe

La migración infantil en la región tiene aristas contradictorias, tal como se plantea en el artículo central de este boletín. Entre las positivas se destacan las mayores oportunidades educativas en los países de llegada y el mayor bienestar en los países de origen por efecto de las remesas; la más alta protección que se obtiene al migrar desde situaciones de violencia y riesgo social; y la apertura de nuevos horizontes para ampliar las experiencias de vida. Entre las aristas negativas se incluyen la precariedad y exposición a más riesgos en el entorno familiar cuando los padres migran y los hijos quedan a cargo de terceros; la exposición a abusos y violaciones de derechos en los procesos migratorios; y la degradación del estatus ciudadano en los países de recepción.

Childcare and parental leave

This issue of Challenges examines the progress made thus far on childcare leave for parents —mothers and fathers— and turns a spotlight on pending debts in this regard. Few legislative or practical measures exist for satisfying the many types of early childhood care needs, and inequalities of origin are still rife. In order to meet those needs, the policy response must be aimed at ensuring universal satisfaction of children's right to care regardless of the formal employment status (or otherwise) of their parents, and the existing models of care from birth must be thoroughly reviewed.

The girl child and boys in the Caribbean: progress and challenges

This issue of Gender Dialogue focuses attention on the status of the girl child in the Caribbean and examines the ongoing progress and challenges in fulfilment of international mandates such as the Beijing Platform for Action, the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the Millennium Development Goals and other relevant commitments.