A growing movement for kids in Ciudad Juarez

By Lisa Jordan, Executive Director, 18 June 2010

Ciudad Juarez has become one of the most violent places in the world over the past one and a half years. There were 2600 homicides in 2009 and 1086 people have died already this year, mostly due to drugs related street violence. The Mexican army has taken up permanent residence in the city. One can only imagine what effects this has on the most vulnerable members of society in Ciudad Juarez, the children. At least 900 children have died in the past 3 years. Over 10,000 have lost parents.

Even before the violence skyrocketed hundreds of thousands of young children were growing up in fear and danger. In the summer of 2008 the Bernard van Leer Foundation, in cooperation with Ririki Intervención Social, the Mesa de Infancia and Caminos Posibles, began to explore the potential to work in Ciudad Juarez. The research we did yielded some striking and disconcerting results.

Female workforce participation was the highest in the country at 58.8%, yet there were only 10,000 spots available for daycare. With a population of 137,000 children from 0 to 4 years of age, thousands of kids are left to fend for themselves during the day or are cared for by scarcely older siblings. 85% of 6 to 8 year olds consulted expressed that they feared or mistrusted someone in the neighborhood – mostly gang members, drug traffickers, assassins or drug addicts, but some also named the police.

To improve the situation we began to support local initiatives to organize and improve safe spaces for young children in some of the most disadvantaged zones of the city. However, we quickly began to see that our efforts were too localized to achieve the kind of change that was needed, especially after the violence skyrocketed at the end of 2008. Moreover, the projects that we were funding found themselves in danger. One organization nearly closed its doors as board members moved across the border to the United States for fear of insecurity. Daycare workers were reporting threats of extortion from gangs and organized crime.

With advice of our local partners we shifted our support to a national campaign for a comprehensive policy for childcare and protection. As a concerted response to the violence in Juarez was taking shape, we wanted to make sure that the youngest citizens would not be forgotten and had a strong voice in the determining how their interests would best be served.

A great deal must happen over the coming months and years for genuine and sustained change to occur. There are positive signs. The campaign – Hazlo por Juárez (Do it for Juarez) - was launched at the end of April 2010. Civil society advocates from around the country developed a policy proposal together that candidates for Mayor and Governor will be asked to endorse in the upcoming elections. The Hazlo por Juárez Facebook group has grown to near 2000 affiliates from around the country (and beyond) in its first two months and continues to increase on a daily basis. Media outlets including national and local papers, CNN Mexico and journalists from places including the United States, Brazil, Japan and Australia have begun to cover the situation of young children. Government institutions such as the National Ministries of Education, Health and Social Development have opened a special round of funding opportunities for organizations in the City of Juarez.

It’s more important than ever to ensure that this momentum is translated into results for the children in Juarez. The Bernard van Leer Foundation is proud to be a part of this growing movement for positive change for kids in the City of Juarez.