Community Promoters for Human Rights are volunteers selected by their own communities to disseminate information about childrens rights and to report any rights violations. Part of their work focuses on promoting volunteerism as a tool to prevent violence in Bolivia.
Municipal Child Protection Offices are scattered across Bolivia, with limited human resources and logistical support. The Plurinational State of Bolivia, together with the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme and the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF), decided to apply a community-based protection plan to support the work of these offices through the Community Promoters for Human Rights strategy.
This strategy has been implemented since 2003 by UN Volunteers serving within the Child Protection Programme of UNICEF. They provide technical support to governmental institutions in the design and implementation of programmes and measures to protect and promote the rights of children and adolescents. Part of their work focuses on promoting volunteerism as a tool to prevent violence in Bolivia.
The Community Promoters are volunteers selected by their own communities to disseminate information about childrens rights and to report any rights violations. There are currently 2,767 volunteers working as Community Promoters in 1,300 communities of 48 municipalities as part of the National Protection System for childrens rights.
Benito García Benedo, Community Promoter in Cochabamba, explains that the work in the community involves many talks and discussions with parents about the rights and needs of their children, such as the right to an education.
A convincing argument is when I point out that if their children dont go to school, there will be no one to lead the community in the future, Benito explains. It also involves a lot of follow-up, checking that the children are indeed attending school, and talking to them to make sure they are aware of their own rights.
A major achievement of the programme in 2011 was to get the Community Promoters for Human Rights strategy included in the national development agenda.
-- Sandra Carbajal, national UNV Community Promoter with UNICEF
Child Protection Offices and community organizations have been empowered and taken ownership of the strategy in 48 municipalities, Sandra highlights. As a result, they have committed funds for the implementation of the strategy and for the follow-up and capacity-building of community promoters.
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Bio: Sandra Carbajal is a national UNV Community Promoter with UNICEF in Bolivia. She provides technical support to governmental institutions for the protection and promotion of the rights of children and adolescents, through the Community Promoters for Human Rights strategy of UNICEF's Child Protection Programme. Part of her work focuses on promoting volunteerism as a tool to prevent violence in Bolivia.