I was really excited about this week’s blog assignment because I love learning about child development in other parts of the world. As an undergraduate, I majored in International Studies/Sociology and my region of focus was Latin America; I am particularly interested in this part of the world and have some background knowledge of it. Because of this, I chose to look at this region of the world for this week’s blog entry.
According to UNICEF’s Latin American Regional Office, there are many challenges that children in Latin America may face. These include economic disparities, social exclusion, malnutrition, violence, HIV/AIDS, and emergencies (UNICEF, n.d.). All of these factors play a role in a child’s emotional well-being and can impact his/her development.
One of the biggest challenges that this region faces is that “Latin America and the Caribbean is considered the most unequal region in the world” (UNICEF, n.d.); this means that there are many economic disparities, many children and families living in poverty, and many people unable to access services. Economic disparities are linked to poverty and malnutrition, factors that affect children in all areas of development, physical, cognitive, and social-emotional. Not having enough to eat, young children working to help support their families, and lack of basic necessities all take a toll on a child’s emotional well-being as they add extra stresses to both the family and child. Stress not only negatively impacts a child’s emotional development and can take a toll on their emotional, cognitive, and physical well-being.
Latin America and the Caribbean are very culturally diverse with indigenous people and people of African descent. However, children and families from these groups may face social exclusion, higher rates of poverty, and lack of services (UNICEF, n.d.). As we have been learning, culture is a large part of a young child’s identity. Social exclusion and racism create cultural discontinuity, unequal access to services, and ultimately, negatively impact a child’s emotional well-being and healthy identity development.
In addition to this, “the Caribbean has the 2nd highest prevalence of AIDS in the world, after sub-Saharan Africa” (UNICEF, n.d.); which means that many children are more likely have a close family member or parent with HIV/AIDS or may even have it themselves. This would greatly impact a child’s well-being; having a disease with no cure would definitely be a traumatic experience and I would imagine would be very scary to a young child. If a child or family member has HIV/AIDS, they not only may face social exclusion but may not be able to receive adequate medication or treatment. I imagine that this would be very straining to a family and could affect the relationships and stability within the family; again greatly impacting a child’s emotional development.
The high rates of violence in the region can add extra stress to a young child living here as well. Living in fear or witnessing violent acts are traumatic experiences that greatly affect a young child’s emotional development. Fear and lack of stability make it hard to create the safe and loving environment that helps foster a young child’s healthy development.
Lastly, many natural disasters occur in the region of Latin America and the Caribbean. Natural disasters may include hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes and the results can include homelessness, injuries, illnesses, and deaths (UNICEF, n.d.). Again, this can greatly impact a young child’s emotional well-being and development as these are frightening, life-changing, traumatic experiences. Even if the natural disaster is smaller-scale and the child is not displaced or orphaned, schooling or services may be interrupted or may be harder to access.
As we have learned, emotional trauma negatively affects a child’s development. It is unfortunate that so many children face adversities early on in life that impact their development. As I was reading the information from the UNICEF Regional Office, I felt saddened that this is the way of life for millions of children. Sometimes I take for granted the opportunities, resources, and fortune that my son and I have. We are lucky that we are not struggling to simply survive as millions of children and families are worldwide; we have access to immunizations and social services, stability, and resources. Learning more about the multiple challenges children living in Latin America and the Caribbean may be facing helped me put things in perspective and gave me a new respect for what UNICEF and other humanitarian agencies are doing.
Some statistics about this region according to UNICEF’s Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean:
-“60% of children under 12 years of age and 50% of adolescents between the ages of 13-19 live in poverty” in this region
-“52 million people do not have access to sufficient food” in this region
-“As one of the most culturally diverse regions in the world, there are 40-50 million indigenous and 150 million Afro-descendants living here, close to half of which are under 18 years of age“
-In Latin America and the Caribbean, “nearly 85,000 children die annually as a result of violence in the home, violence affects over 6 million children and adolescents”
-“Region wide, 83% of children reach the fifth grade…Children from poor families are six times less likely to receive full primary education compared to wealthy families”
As professionals here in the US, we hear about parents wanting their preschoolers to be doing elementary school curriculum, prepping their toddlers with extracurricular activities to get them into better schools, and concerns about children’s academic success. I think that we need to take a step back and look at what truly matters and remember that we are fortunate that our children have the chance to play and be children. As a professional, this awareness is important because it really helps me put things in perspective and learn about other factors that impact a child’s emotional development and well-being. In my sheltered world, I have not worked with a child who has been displaced due to a natural disaster or who has not been able to receive medical services because there are none available for them, but as a professional I need to know that these challenges exist and that many children are facing them daily. We are not able to fix all of the global problems and adversities children and families may face, but we can become advocates and raise awareness for these issues. Using anti-bias education and teaching children about global issues can help raise awareness and foster respect for humankind. As our world becomes more interdependent, this awareness and respect will play a big role.
References:
UNICEF. n.d. UNICEF Oficina Regional para América Latina y el Caribe. UNICEF. Retrieved from: http://www.unicef.org/lac/english_4842.htm
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