In Peru, the inadequacy of the family protection system and shortcomings in the public system expose the most vulnerable children and adolescents—girls living on the streets, minors who are survivors of sexual violence, and teenage mothers—to the risk of abandonment and extreme marginalization. School dropout, substance dependence, child prostitution, and small-scale drug trafficking are problems exacerbated by cultural barriers that tend to blame and stigmatize victims rather than protect them.
The project, implemented in collaboration with local partners GIN and Mundo Libre in the regions of Callao, Cajamarca, and La Libertad, and in the district of Pachacámac, aims to strengthen the child protection system through a multi-level approach—at institutional, community, and family levels—organized around specific objectives and activities.
Its aims are to:
- strengthen the skills of child protection professionals and contribute to the National Plan for the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy
- train teachers, students, and parents—in a total of twelve schools across Lima and the other project areas—on preventing sexual violence, adolescent pregnancy, and substance dependence
- develop rehabilitation and social, family, and educational reintegration pathways for girls living on the streets and those dependent on psychoactive substances
- support public policies and legislative initiatives addressing the social marginalization of girls and adolescents, including through two conferences presenting the scientific results achieved.
Activities combine direct training (seminars for more than 1,000 students, 350 parents, and 50 teachers in the first phase, followed by another 800 parents and students in the second phase), public awareness-raising (local and national seminars, TV and radio broadcasts, social media channels), the establishment of a reintegration community, and outreach activities in local communities, with the aim of building an ongoing collaborative network among institutions, schools, and communities.
Objective 1
Strengthen the child protection system to prevent sexual violence and adolescent pregnancy
Objective 2
Promote preventive, self-protective, and protective behaviors against sexual violence
Objective 3
Reduce the number of girls living on the streets and promote the social, family, and educational reintegration of those dependent on psychoactive substances