Annex 1

I. RIGHTS PERSPECTIVE

Children are born with the fundamental freedoms and the rights of all the human beings. This is the essential premise of the convention on the children's rights, an international treaty of human rights which has impacted children´s and their families lives, over the ten past years,throughout the entire planet. 32

Nowadays the countries of the world, except for two, have accepted to observe the norms of this treaty, in which is underlined the importance that everybody , especially the governments, protect those children under eighteen years old.

In the Colombian state a according to the constitution ammended of 1991 children´s rights are fore there is a committed respect ans protection of human dignited of the children.

Picking up what stated by Esmeralda Ruiz in the document "The sense of the social projects", the rights are in turn universal values of coexistence, based in the human dignity, the reason and the justice. They conform the individual's and community awareness and they imply the recognition of some minimum conditions of material and spiritual order which should be guaranteed to all people.

In spite of the fact that the rights have been conceived as the essential, the essence of the democratic system, has proven that in spite of being applicable to everyone without discrimination of any nature, there are certain groups of people that are not protected in the enjoyment of their rights by diverse reasons. A clear example of this situation in Colombia has to do with the serious violation of the human rights of children and adolescents. When going over the different areas of the law, we broadly find the following situation on the subject of childhood rights:

Life and Survival Area

• Massacre and violent murder of minors
• Malnutrition
• Infantile mortality for anticipated causes
• Increase substance abuse that begins before ten years
• Deficiency health Services

Development and Education Area

• School desertion
• Low quality education
• 11% of illiteracy at national level

Protection area

• Inter-family violence, physical abuse, sexual abuse
• Prostitution
• Juvenile delinquency
• Lying
• child labour
• Street children
• Children linked to the armed conflict

Participation Area

• School and authoritarian family
• Limited recognition or respect for the participation of boys and girls in the matters that concern them

Many of the situations mentioned demostrated absence of the state. It has also been notorious the absence of the society and the family exercising their citizenship. Not only doesthe state has had in its programs a "assistantship mentality" within its programs, but also the civil society hopes that the actual government will solve the problem.

"Assistantship mentality": the government only provides physical things and does not implement processes of self solution or actualization.

Nowadays, we have significant advances as the ratification of the children rights and the constitution of 1991,but there is still a lot of things to do. The guarantee of the childhood rights has not been assumed in a responsible way neither by the state, nor the family and nor the society. For this reason, it is imperative that for each of the instances specific actions must be developed for the construction of a better country, so that as a result, the culture grows in favor of the children, rooted in full validity and respect of the rights.

Children´s rights should not only be a group of principles but they must become grounds for social policies, and challenges which focus on actions and programs which improve life conditions of children and their families. The success indicators must not be different from those that reflect government and civil society's concern to provide the best conditions of life to the population. These indicators should be objective records on the access and participation of children in the services that guarantee the satisfaction of their basic needs of health, education, recreation, culture, protection, nutrition and growth, etc.

To set up the lines of action around the diffusion and the practices of children's rights, it is a good idea to differentiate two levels: the cultural ethical-value based dimension and the pragmatic or operative dimension these two levels must maintain a close relationship.

a. The cultural ethical-value based dimension

The conception that one has about the boy, the girl and the factors that affect their developmented process, is one of the main aspects of people culture. This cultural dimension can not be forgotten in the moment of defining policy and programs in favor of the childhood, because of its affectation depends the continuity and the final impact of the specific actions and programs. It becomes necessary to promote a "cultural rupture" that allows the boy and the girl in the development process to be the center of all concerns of all the agencies in the society.

The aim is to consolidate a culture which overcomes the childs rhetoric as a future citizen and recognizes the opportunities and life conditions of the present as the base or ecological environment that facilitates or impedes the development of the human abilities.

b) The program dimension (offer and demand of services)

This dimension responds to the satisfaction of the basic needs for the survival and full development. Its practice begins with the recognition and acceptance of such needs to satisfy those rights. It is a responsibility of the state and the society in general to recognize the social investment in the childhood as a priority, not for charitable reasons, but because it corresponds to a model of society and an ethics which treats children as equals.

II. BASIC PRINCIPLES TO GUIDE THE WORK FOR THE CHILDHOOD

In order to have a conscious and critical appropriation of the rights of the childhood from the same children, the parents, the family and the society in general, the programs that benefit the child should include in strategy the following principles:

• Community organization and participation

The execution of the rights and the satisfaction of childhood needs are a responsibility of the whole society and therefore, a wide participation of all the sectors is required in the planning and development of the programs, the objective is to provide better life conditions, as well as bigger and better opportunities for the harmonic development of all children.

• Planning with a gender perspective

The programming, evaluation and pursuit with a gender perspective must be a basic principle of each of the actions and projects. The situation analyses will give visibility to the specific problems of the girls, adolescents and women so that gender needs may be identified.

The programs and strategies of rasing a child can not be continued configuring under the supposition that the responsibility of the upbringing and care are a mothers ´problem or strictly "feminine". In this traditionally macho and authoritarian culture, the fathers also need to learn the language of affection, the fondness of the paternity and the reconciliation with the leisure dimension.

• Education and increase of consciousness

Besides the situation of poverty that affects a great part of the population, the conditions for the development of the childhood are determined by cultural factors that are always expressed in beliefs, attitudes and behaviors that are not favorable for children and teen girls of growth. Therefore it is required to base all action or politics on a deliberate and intensive educational process and reflection which affect the practice of upbringing, the popular conception on the infantile development and the relationship models within the socialization processes.

This process to increase public awareness and to educate will be guided preferentially to the family unit in their diverse forms and dynamics, as basic context of the human development. The family in its different forms and configurations, establishes the net of relationships that forms the social relationships in general.

It is not to improve the situation to today's children, but to contribute to the effectiveness of the social mechanisms for the realization of equality. Therefore, it will be necessary to promote the use of programs with little coverage to impact governmental and public policies. It is indispensable to promote the establishment of agreements of social and political consents that allow the implementation of the political state that overcomes the plans of the development situation.

It is necessary to benefit the community in general, to have impact on the expectations and the residents' beliefs and to affect positively the culture on the childhood, so that the changes in the rules of upbringing can be lasting and widespread.

The coherence with the declaration of the rights of the child, is to create the necessary conditions so that all children and teen girl, without exception, can fully enjoy their right to live in an atmosphere of affection and protection, under the guidance and care of their parents and other adults, under good nutritional conditions, with free and appropriate services of health and education, as full citizens, with a vision and an own logic and to interpret the world that surrounds them. They need games, exploration, and the learning experiences, to develop all their potential and to participate as active members in its social group.

Annex 2

THE ECOLOGIC AND SYSTEMIC CONCEPT OF THE HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

The YMCA has been doing researche, from which several concepts have been made supporting the Preventive Model of the Development Pyramid.

The approach described below is taken from the document "Preventive Work Model with Underprivileged Families" corresponding to the investigation made in coordination with the Santo Tomas University and the YMCA of Bogotá.33

The Ecological and Systemic Vision of development is pointed out. From this perspective multiple variables are considered interacting permanently in the production of a phenomena going beyond proposal that try to identify the final causes from the lineal relationships by coincidence which allow to have only fragmentary comprehension voiding the processes complexity.

The Development Contexts are involved within this concept emphasizing in the relationship between the family and school as specific types of contexts. They will defin in the child evolution.

The Development Contexts are seen as a Set of Interlinked Structures placing the developing person in its ineer must part being affected by its next context which could be his school or family. These are at the same time, linked to a third level structure affecting the individual. E.g. a child being affected by his parents' work and all of this would be in a four level structure corresponding to the community context.

The ecological vision of the Human Development is referred as the scientific study of the mutual and progressive adjusting between an active and growing human being and the changeable properties of the immediate contexts where they live. Bearing in mind that this process is affected by the relationship within those contexts and broader ones the individuals are in.

To show that the Human Development has happened, it is necessary to establish that a productive change in the conceptions and/or activities are transferred to other contexts in other moments. Such demonstration corresponds to a indicator of success of the human development.

These ideas have got important implications for the development processes with high risk children and families. It is assumed that neither the child nor parent come from unusual structures, but their difficulties are the result of the complex interaction in the contexts they are in and the slowldown or stop of their growth process.

Secondly, every action with children and their families is focused to mobilize their resources and potential taking into account the different contexts involved which constitutes specific levels of intervention. That is to say the children, their families, the school, their community and the city are some development contexts where children are immersed, and from an ecological and strategic perspective each one of them needs to be evaluated in order to provide a solution to the problems found.

The development also aims to increase people's capacity to transform their environment positively. The work can not be focused to short term goals or indicators of success established from the outside but taking into account participants' expectations even if they do not show interest for changing. We have to keep in mind that the deficiencies in people's quality of life produce major problems are some times impossible to solve them in the course of life. Therefore, it is necessary to work with two or three generations in their different contexts to see positive effects in their Human and Social Development Process.

Annex 3

I. SOCIAL STRESS MODEL APPLIED TO THE VIOLENCE WITHIN THE FAMILY AND THE CHILDREN MISTREATMENT (MOSSAVI)

The Foundation Gama Idear 34 works an integrated model for the Child abuse Prevention and Family Violence. Based on the modified Social Stress Model of the World Health Organization. We will transcribe part of this model textually.

The Mossavi model includes both the factors that seem to foment families resolving their problem violently, or adults mistreating children, along with those factors that seem to prevent family violence and child abuse.

The first ones are denominated risk factors and the second ones are called protective factors.

The model is based under the following statement:
While there are many risk factors and protective factors are weak, there are more chances for a family, a minor or a community to face violent situations and child abuse. Contrary, there more protective factors there are and less risk factors or the possibility of the last ones being diminished by protective factors the probabilities of suffering or having a violent consequence are less probable.

The intra family violence situation or child mistreatment is better comprehended when both risk and preventive factors are considered.

It is considered a critical situation when risk factors overcome or can not be reduced by protective factors and non critical when risk factors are fewer or can be reduced by protective factors.

Besides providing a conceptual comprehension, this framework is useful as a way perform do the intervention and prevention planning of violent situations.

When the risk and protection factors have been identified, the work can be initialited to reduce the risks and strengthen the protection factors. This can be done for an individual, a family or the whole community.

The risk factors have grouped in three categories, stress, normalization and violence. Protector factors have also been grouped in:
enrollment, competences, and resources. They are described below.

II. THE STRESS AS A RISK FACTOR

The stress is defined as the tension amongst the necessities, interests, feelings and resources that need to be satisfied.

The stress by itself does not lead to the violence and we always need certain grade of stress as a motivation for the action but when this overcomes the limits to be handled and it is accompanied by other risk factors, will surely increase the possibilities to be involved in violent actions. Abused children and violent families are often under high levels of stress. The five types of stress proposed by Rhodes and Johnson are described below will help us to comprehend how much stress families and this experience.

1.The main life events

These facts a deeply affect families and young people, because they constitute the disintegration of their effectiveness. These unexpected events may happen at any time without minors or adults having control over them. Among them we can include the death of any of the parents or beloved relatives, abandonment, accidents, natural disasters, violent displacements, persecution, war situations, physical and/or sexual assault, suicide attempts, the lost of the family´s patrimony or basic income sources, another childs birth or home abandonment.

The lost of self control feeling of being ignored and frustration, feeling guilty and the search of a reason (why me, why now) favor the confrontation among the family members causing violent situations, especially with the weaker members of the family.

2. Secuences of suffered lives

Underprivileged children and family´s lives are full of problems difficult to resolve coming from their social and cultural and financial situation which go usually back a long way. Along with poverty, social marginalisation, poor housing conditions, lack of access to basic services, illiteracy, school drop out, ethnic segregation, lack of opportunities, among others. Bring confrontation, frustration and hopeless feelings making these population vulnerable to violence situations.

3. Daily Problems

The daily pressure to get the sustenance, along with the overload of roles and responsibilities for some family members who have to face multiple and immediate problems with other relatives, neighbors, bosses, or authorities, quickly wear away their resistance and tolerance generating exhaustion in their relationships. The desire to find a quick answer leads to confrontation, abuse, and abandonment.

4. Life Transitions

Transitions such as changing neighborhoods, moving to another city, changing jobs, finding a new partner, or having a new baby are stressful situations because they demand extra effort to change habits or adjust to new circumstances. Along with the adjustment process, confrontation with others could be frequent and if there are not sufficient and appropriate means to solve conflict peacefully, the result is an environment of violence.

5. Teenage Growth Changes

Puberty brings about a great deal of changes for the teenager. Situations such as body changes, beginning the sexual activity, having to work or being responsible for others when there are little or no emotional or cognative resources, generates conflict with family, friends, or other subjects distant from the family group.

III. NORMALISING A VIOLENT RESPONSE

It is more likely that family or youngsters are subject to violent behaviours when the use of violence becomes a regular or normal practice in a certain environment. Some cultures and groups recognize violence as socialization means for children, subjection for women or demonstration of control and authority for the most powerful ones.
When the use of violence is accepted and legitimised by a certain group, is not questioned or seen as such, violence becomes "normalized".

Many factors promote accepting violence in a group or in the whole community:

1.Fulfilling the Law

Violence easily acquires a legal estate within a society when a lax legislation does not include some abuse or mistreatment actions as criminal offenses. In this case, it is more likely that an aggressive behaviour would be accepted or normalised in the society.

Likewise, if the justice structures are weak, impunity is common and authorities do not allocate efforts to rule against mistreatment. Violent responses are them accepted or normalised.

When control institutions tolerate violence it becomes acceptable for many individuals and it is not seen as a problem. On the contrary, the weakness of legal justice leads to the practice of applying justice by one's own hand.

2. Violent Constriction Means Availability

The more frequent violence becomes as means to solve conflict, the faster it becomes normalized. The use of maltreatment as pedagogic resource at schools, or violence against women at home are considered normal in many cultures. In the same way, freedom to produce, distribute, and possess guns cause many people to think that their use is valid to defend themselves from insecurity, especially when authorities are unable to control it.

Many children are trained in the use of weapons since early childhood and in areas of high social conflict, the knowledge about weapons is one of the necessary skills for daily survival.

3. Cost of Violence

When violence becomes more common and instead of punishment its use results in benefit, the probability that it becomes formalized increases.

On the contrary, if not using violence is perceived as weakness or lack of courage and those who are violent gain respect and fear within their peer group, violent responses are valued as privileged social interaction.

4. Publicity, Sponsorship, Promotion

The more valued and published violence becomes in a society, the more it tends to be considered not only necessary but desirable to solve conflict. Thus, people learn to tolerate aggression to such an extent that they become insensitive facing violent events.

Many advertising strategies include aggressive images and extreme risk situations to create impact thus role, models and heroes desensitizing the public usually achieve success because they defeat their opponents. Individuals, specially children internalize those models as their inspiration and guide.

5. Media Showing Violent Situations

Frequent and positive presentations of violence in television, cinema, journals, and newspapers promote the normalization of violence. Violence is regularly used to show action, emotion, danger, sex, entertainment and even humor. When family and specially children are frequently exposed to such images with no guidance, criteria, or other information, may without question would they end up learning a violent behavioural model.

For those families that live with great deal of tension, conflict, and aggression, the media productions allow them to think that their situation is "normal". Radio and newspapers play a very important role when giving wide displays of violent events and it becomes is more relevant because the information is not fiction but real life.

6. Cultural Role

The use of violence takes place in every culture but the definition of justified and non justified violence varies from one to another.

There is always a certain degree of normalized violence. Periods of fast cultural transitions change the definition, application and traditionally accepted limits of justified violence. When legislation tries to impose limits to new violence, many people consider that it maintains a considerable social value. In this case, the major role is played by those role models who determine the limits of violence. When those models are extremely flexible or do not have limits in mind, the idea of "help your self as you can" becomes the rule and violence is normalized.

IV. EXPERIENCES OF VIOLENCE IN THE FAMILY AND CHILD ABUSE

If violent behaviour produces a positive experience or brings them about benefit for those who use it, violence is to violence likely to be frequently used. Likewise, those who are repeatedly subjected to violence loose little by little their capability to react or to ando do not defend themselves and become even more vulnerable.

Effects of violent aggression depend in each case on the aggressor (position and condition), the kind of aggression (intensity, harm degree, frequency), the subject of the aggression (position and condition), and the circumstances (atmosphere, environment, emotional situation, expectations). The frequent effect is low self-esteem, guilt, depression, isolation, fear, and physical harm in various levels.

V. PROTECTION LINKS

Links are personal connections with people, objects, animals, and institutions. For instance, friends, work or study partners, relatives, neighbors, authorities, professionals of service institutions, teachers, priests, etc.may act as protection links.

It is likely that families do not tend to abuse their relatives or that children are not abused when strong positive links exist among them and with people or institutions which avoid violent practices. They have a more positive perception of life and altruistic values that offer protection and emotional support together with strong vigilance and control over all the group members.

But there are also negative links. These are connections with people, groups or institutions associated with abuse, violence, weapons, illegal activities, criminal offences and law braking. Negative links become risk factors.

VI. PROTECTION ABILITIES

Abilities are physical, intellectual, social, and emotional skills that allow people to recognize risk and avoid it. They can handle conflict in a practical way, or face violent reactions minimizing the destructive effects.

The following are some skills that allow an individual to avoid a negative respose in situations of great tension or conflict:

• Self confidence
• High self-esteem
• Problem solving skills
• Able to find alternative behaviour
• Self control
• Negotiation skills
• Dialogue and communication
• Positive perception of life
• Self respect and respect for others

During childhood and adolescence people acquire skills and strategies to face situations of conflict. These skills allow people to attain healthy and happy lives. The more skills people have, the less chance there is to develop violent behaviour in adulthood.
But if that is not the case, even in adulthood an individual can modify the behavioural codes acquired in childhood and fortify the capabilities to react passivelly toward conflict.

VII. RESOURCES FOR PROTECTION

Resources are everything we use to satisfy our needs. These resources are found within the person and in the environment.

The internal resources that protect include first intelligence, religious beliets, optimism, adaptability, positive models, etc. External resources include information, family, affective relationships, strong role models, access to education, health, recreation, community organizations and others.

When there is lack of resources, there is also a lack of alternatives to solve conflict in a non violent way.
The ability to react in a non violent way, or to defend oneself in case of aggression is developed in a better way when there are strong positive links, access to resources, opportunities and no serious causes of stress.

Annex 4

SOCIAL NETWORKS

Social interaction is enriched with the support networks established by individuals, families and groups. These networks give importance to the social atmosphere and provide answers to social and personal needs.

Social networks are the main space for social interaction and are the basis for individuals to create and define permanently their models of interaction, autonomy, and social participation. The simultaneously create links of solidarity, support, organization and strength for the community.

Normally the networks are open systems that allow permanent exchange of knowledge, emotions, relations, and support among their members. A network is a mechanism of protection and social help that gathers from several backgrounds, interests, and rituals that seek to maximize resources and services to favour those who are in trouble.

A network could be natural or artificial.

Natural networks are those natural links and interactions that a person establishes with his/her relations within the daily environment.

Artificial nets are those created from a specific purpose in order to find a concrete solution to a problem or need. One way or another, the networks serve as social support as long as there are elements to join its members around a solution for a common need.

Individuals spend most of their time in a social network. Therefore, its members greatly influence each other. The following chart clearly show their interactions and relations:

Networks require three key factors:

1. Awareness

• Share our sad experiences.
• Show our feelings concerning those experiences.

2. Personal testimony as group training

• Ask questions about key topics.
• At random speak about personal experiences.
• Ask again.
  

3. Relate personal testimony and general situations

• Find a common root for opposite feelings and experiences.
• Analyse positive and negative feelings together with a way to face the situations that they surface.35

According to Eliana Dabas36 the following are some important elements to create and sustain social networks:

• Value highly the presence, word, and testimony of each person.
• Encourage multiple expression (drama, games, art, etc.)
• Value direct personal contact and share experiences.
• Value questions and the chance of ignorance.
• Allow creativity.
• Give merit to personal commitment.
• Value differences as a possibility for growth and not as trouble makers.
• Count on complexity, confusion and crisis instead of trying to simplify them.
• Understand personal and other people's rights as criteria to establish limits.
• Value equally form and content.
• Find punishments that allow learning.
• Redefine propositions that close roads and open possibilities instead.
• Record and maintain coherence among all aspects of an experiences.
• Think about oneself and the own behaviour instead of criticizing others.
• Try new and comprehensive interactions.
• Appreciate mistakes as a source of correction and new attempts.

A network can be seen from different perspectives according to the intentions or to the social support it has.

Within the community it is possible to consider family, community, and institution networks because they are the basis to create identities, limits, and meanings that affect the system in a positive or negative way, and at the same time, allow thinking and verbal and non verbal exchange to maintain, create or increase alternatives to solve conflicts or problems common to their members.

Networks also serve as support of values and believes for those who participate and are enriched by their personal and social contributions.

From the preventive perspective, the network is such a valuable tool to build new paradigms in a community or a family that out of shared testimonies and experiences it provides the possibility to find new alternatives to face crisis.

The YMCA considers that community and family networks are support for self management as well as group and personal development. A network is a strategy for families and communities to create common links and resources that are developed to favour their needs of emotional, economic, and social structures.

The YMCA considers that including networks in all processes yields a possibility to develop potentials, resources and abilities in community and family environments which result in concrete improvement of joint support and assistance.