The Girl-Child and Government Service Provision.pdf - Tanzania ...

Public Services and the Girl-Childin Costa RicaWorld Vision Costa RicaIntroductionThe establishment of the International Convention on theRights of Children creates the Doctrine of Integral Protection.This doctrine highlights the progressive recognition ofthe rights, duties and guarantees of children and adolescentsas persons and as active subjects who deserve thefull exercise of their rights.In the Costa Rican case, the influence of the Doctrine ofIntegral Protection is materialised in the approval of theCode for Children and Adolescents in 1998, whichrecognises the set of rights, duties and responsibilities ofminors and reconstructs a national system and local systemsfor the protection of the rights of children and adolescents.However, these efforts are limited due to the picture ofsocial deterioration that Costa Rica is undergoing, as minorsare victims of a society that lacks a solid basis ofmoral and spiritual values. The Costa Rican family appearsto be a weak, defenceless structure in the face of the socialand economic issues that the country is going through.In the first place, the state must ensure for the child populationa healthy living environment that provides themwith emotional and physical well-being. The Code for Childrenand Adolescents states: “It shall be the general obligationof the State to adopt the administrative, legislative,budget and any other measures necessary to guaranteethe full effectiveness of the fundamental rights of minorpersons” (Law 7739, art. 4). The state, therefore, cannotcite budget limitations as a reason for neglecting the obligationsmentioned above. Nevertheless, the human andbudget limitations present in services offered by the stateto children make it impossible for attention and quality tobe optimum.In the face of this everyday struggle, two different discoursesare heard in the national domain: the discourse onreality (the degree of protection achieved) and the discourseon standards (the degree of protection due)—thediscourse on “being” and the discourse on “being obligatedto be”. Minors in a disadvantaged social situation areaffected by a large number of negative situations which theCosta Rican state is not meeting as promptly as necessary,for want of a good political will that would make it possibleto establish and implement programmes of preventionand adequate treatments.Hand in hand with the existing legal standards and theirunfavourable outcomes goes the process of socialisationcharacteristic of every human culture. An individual learnsattitudes, principles, values and patterns of relating whichvary according to the historical, economic, social and culturalconditions in which he or she lives.Socialisation includes, among other things, learningbehaviours and values according to each person’s sex.Early on, differences are shown in the treatment given togirls and boys, and one learns to “be a man” or to “be awoman”. For example, boys are allowed greater spatialmobility, are encouraged to be independent and to engagein physical activity that can even be rash and violent, as wellas to be detached from home responsibilities. Girls, on theother hand are prepared to take on home responsibilities,to care for others—even above the satisfaction of theirown life needs—to be submissive and dependent.Programmes have been recently created in Costa Rica thatseek to overcome gender inequities and to look for solutions;this involves prioritising actions in this stage in lifethat will allow for changes in socio-cultural patterns witha view to gender equality and equity. This search for equalityand equity of opportunities and rights for boys and girlsWorld Vision Costa Rica Research Coordinating Committee: Dehuel Perez, Director of Operations; Josial Salas, Advocacy Coordinator;and Desirée Valverde, external consultant.The Girl-Child and Government Service Provision 55