UNICEF just past halfway
By Rebecca Miller

In 2002 CARICOM’s Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) held a meeting focusing on areas that especially adversely affected children of the Caribbean. Early Childhood Development, Child Protection, HIV and AIDS, and Infant and Maternal Mortality were then discussed by heads of Government from the region.
Last month, (March 31, 2008) COHSOD) held its second Special Session on Children and this time the children raised their voices. The session was addressed by young people from the Caribbean. In a joint statement Child delegates from Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname called on all CARICOM states to make the necessary changes to support the region’s children:
“We experience injustices such as sexual, physical and verbal abuse, unavailability of good quality and affordable education, and the stifling of our voices,” they told the delegates. “Children have the right to be heard.”
In their statement the youth urged Ministers to open their eyes and their hearts to the plight of the children. “We may be powerless now,” they said, “but in a few years we’ll be the ones sitting in your seats and making the decisions. Give us a foundation that you would be proud of. Let us be the change you want to see in the world … We demand from you a Caribbean that is safe, one that provides us the right environment in which we can grow up and reach our full potential in whatever areas we choose, a Caribbean that can contribute to a world that is fit for us – your children.”

Meanwhile, Nils Kastberg, UNICEF Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, said that, the timing of this COHSOD session was of special significance because “We are at a crossroads - just past halfway to 2015”, the target date set for the realization of the Millennium Development Goals.”
Kastberg acknowledged that children in the Caribbean region are faced with multitudinous challenges. The region is recognized as having the world’s highest rate of homicides among 15-17 year olds, with boys six times more likely to be victims than girls; girls oftentimes being the victims of sexual violence, partly contributing to Latin America and the Caribbean having the world’s second highest teenage pregnancy rate; the region also presents the highest rate of global gun crime – 42 per cent of the world’s homicides. Notably progress is being made in some key areas including education, but there is still more to be done to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
At the 12th Special Meeting (COHSOD) in Georgetown, Guyana earlier in the month a twenty-point Declaration entitled Building a Region Fit for Children was acquired.
Additionally, the Declaration seeks to ensure the right of every Caribbean child to survival, development, protection, dignity and participation within the Caribbean Community. It also focused on action to improve the quality of and access to Early Childhood care and protection; legislative reforms and protective systems for children and adolescents.
Included in the Declaration are improvements in the data gathering and monitoring mechanisms of the Community to inform regional policies and interventions and emphasizes the promotion of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to engage children in understanding and contributing to their communities.