The child population in Paraguay is 2.5 million, making it 35% of the total population. Paraguay has a population of 7.3 million, with nearly 63% living in urban areas and 37% living in rural areas. Child poverty in Paraguay creates an entry point of multiple issues that risk the safety and well-being of Paraguayan children. Here are five safety risks that child poverty in Paraguay causes.

1. Child Labor

According to the Encuesta Permanente de Hogares Continua (EPHC), in 2020, 53% of children living in rural areas worked as child laborers in farmlands. Children in Paraguay experience the worst forms of labor. According to the United States Department of Labor, in rural areas, children work as child laborers on farms against their will to produce corn, beans, manioc, peanuts, peppers, sesame, sugarcane, tomatoes, lettuce, melons, sweet potato, onions, carrots, cabbages and many more crops. 

On top of producing and picking crops, children raise cattle, poultry, hogs, sheep and goats and are responsible for milk production. Children also fish using hooks and harpoons and prepare bait, exposing themselves to multiple diseases and harsh weather. 

In rural areas, children work on construction sites, exposing them to hazardous materials without any protection and dangerous conditions. Employers order children to handle heavy loads of materials and equipment, even in producing bricks.

2. Street Children

In more populated areas like the capital city, Asunción, there is a different type of child labor in street children. Impoverished children tend not to complete their education because they must provide for their families. In 2021, 75% of children enrolled in primary school and 60% enrolled in middle school, according to UNICEF and the Ministry of Education. With only 54% of students enrolled in upper secondary school. 

The children who do not attend school are working on the streets as street vendors or street performers. Parents or family members exploit their children to make money. Other street work includes sanitation, shoe shinning, newspaper vendor and begging. 

3. Child Marriages

Children of Paraguay are often subject to child marriages, which the high levels of child poverty cause. In 2020, 4% of girls 15 or younger experienced marriage or a union, according to GirlsNotBrides. 

Marriage at such a young age has severe physical and mental health issues because children are unprepared for such a commitment. Paraguay has no national plan or security in place to prevent child marriages. The main drive of child marriages is gender inequality and wealth. About 37% of women living in poor households marry at a young age. 

4. Child Exploitation

The main reason children enter marriage is the sexual exploitation of girls. In 2021, UNICEF recorded about 1,500 cases of sexual abuse. Both boys and girls are victims of sex tourism and they are often sold or given away and exploited for sexual, domestic and commercial services. 

According to UNICEF, data from Fono Ayuda 147 calculated almost 7,400 calls for cases of sexual and physical abuse from children. The organization does not know if the calls are from exploited children. Child exploitation occurs mainly through traffickers’ use of social media to recruit victims who end up on boats where others exploit them for prostitution and child pornography. 

5. Children Trafficking

Paraguay is a big contributor to child trafficking in the continent. Paraguay is a transit and destination country in the Tri-Border Area, comprising Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. Children from rural-impoverished areas are often trafficked to cities and other countries. 

The U.S. Department of State recorded 166 trafficked victims, in the 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report. The report found  72 women, 46 girls, nine men and 33 boys in the victim group. Of that number, 74 victims reported being trafficked for sexual purposes and another 86 reported others forcing them into labor. 

Solutions

Ultimately, it would seem that the safety of children in Paraguay is severely lacking. However, programs and legislation are being enforced to slow down and protect the children of Paraguay. The program, Dispositivo de Respuesta Inmediata, responds to tips from a hotline and provides support for children on the streets. The program employs social workers and authorities to call for sexual abuse, sexual exploitation and routes of street employment in children. 

The government also passed the National Plan for Childhood and Adolescence 2022-2024, which will foresee the protection of children’s rights and highlight child labor as a violation of those rights. Paraguay is a member of the Organization of American States. As a member, Paraguay is working to strengthen its response to sexual and physical violence and the obliteration of early marriage in children. This means there is support and answers to the security of children in Paraguay.

– Sebastian Llerena
Photo: Flickr