Paraguay home
Plan International has worked in Paraguay since 1994 to achieve lasting impact on the lives of the most vulnerable children.
Girls free from violence
Protection against gender-based violence
We work so that girls, boys, and adolescents can live in environments free from harmful practices, have the knowledge and skills to identify situations of violence, and where duty bearers recognise and act against violence towards children and adolescents.
There are high levels of gender-based violence in the country, resulting in high rates of adolescent pregnancy, sexual abuse, marriages and forced and early unions, school dropouts and criadazgo [indentured child servants exploited for domestic labour]. These issues affect girls, female adolescents and young women in particular, and affect their ability to make decisions and influence their lives.
Our objectives
- Children and adolescents understand and identify the risks and protective behaviours, prevention, and response against gender-based violence, challenging gender norms and inequalities.
- Mothers, fathers and caregivers feel competent and provide loving care to their sons and daughters to challenge gender norms.
- Service providers and community mechanisms recognise and promote safe and violence-free environments for children and adolescents.
- The protection system and duty bearers recognise and act on forms of violence against children and adolescents, particularly criagazgo and early and forced marriages and unions.
How we do it
- Developing training and awareness initiatives targeting girls, boys, caregivers, and rights bearers.
- Facilitating intergenerational dialogue spaces to strengthen family relationships between children and caregivers.
- Advocating for changes in public policies, plans, programmes, and projects through the modification of laws and the enhancement of the skills of public servants.
- Providing training to members of community child protection mechanisms.
- Offering training to journalists and media influencers to contribute to communication and information from a human rights and gender perspective.
Target groups
- Children from 0 to 5 years old.
- Children and adolescents from 6 to 17, in all of their diversity.
- Women and men over 18 years old.
Who we work with
- Parents, mothers, and families in general.
- Community leaders.
- Service providers: teachers, health professionals, police officers, healthcare personnel, CODENI (Municipal Councils for the Rights of Children and Adolescents), among others.
- Duty bearers: mayors, legislators, magistrates, governors, among others.
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