Alert on child vulnerability centers talk at RYLA youth seminar in Jarabacoa

Jarabacoa, R.D.- A forceful alert about the reality faced by children and adolescents marked the talk "Co-responsibility in the face of the vulnerability of minors," given by Luis Joel Martínez Ogando, Assistant Coordinator of the Fiscal Office of Puerto Plata, during the RYLA youth leadership seminar organized by Rotaract 4060 in Jarabacoa. During his intervention, the specialist revealed figures that shocked those present: more than 60% of children between 1 and 14 years old have suffered some type of violence, even within their own home, according to estimates from UNICEF. Likewise, nearly 70% of children between 1 and 4 years old receive violent punishments as a form of discipline. "This is not normal. It's not upbringing. It's violence," emphasized Martinez Ogando, while calling for the dismantling of cultural practices that normalize child abuse. The speaker focused his talk on the concept of co-responsibility, explaining that the protection of children and adolescents does not fall on a single institution, but on three fundamental actors: the family, society, and the State.

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In that sense, he highlighted that the family constitutes the first space of protection, with the duty to care for, educate, protect, and generate well-being. While the State must guarantee public policies and effective mechanisms that safeguard the rights of children, in accordance with the provisions of Law 136-03. For their part, society — made up of schools, neighbors, churches, and citizens — plays a key role in identifying and reporting situations of abuse. One of the most impactful moments of the talk was when the speaker asked the participants: “If a child in your community is being mistreated, would you know what to do? Who would you turn to? Would you report it?” Martínez Ogando recalled that, according to the Criminal Procedure Code, any citizen can report a crime, and in some cases there is even an obligation to do so, especially for public officials, health professionals, and teachers. He also explained that complaints can be made orally or in writing, and reiterated that acting in time can make the difference between protection and tragedy. "Protecting our children and adolescents is not the responsibility of just one person... it is a shared responsibility of the family, the community, and the State. Faced with this reality, we are all called to act," he concluded.