Impacts on Early Emotional Development

I have chosen to share Latin America and the Caribbean with my colleagues. This area of the world is considered the most unequal region in the world (UNICEF, 2013).

UNICEF’s  mission and mandate in this region is of particular importance since more than “40% of the total population (510-million )is under 18 years of age, and more than half of the region’s children  and adolescents live in conditions of poverty”(UNICEF, 2013). In addition to poverty, according to the UNICEF’s annual State of the World’s children report 2013, there needs to be “more efforts to support the integration of children with disabilities” (UNICEF, 2013). For many children with disabilities in this region, exclusion begins in the first days of life with their birth going unregistered. Lacking official recognition, they are cut off from the social services and legal protections that are crucial to their survival and prospects. Their marginalization only increases with discrimination (UNICEF, 2013).

For the launch of the report in Da Nang, Viet Nam/MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, 30 May 2013, UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake, urges the region to “see the child – before the disability” since “when you see the disability before the child, it is not only wrong for the child, but it deprives society of all that child has to offer” (UNICEF, 2013). He further states that, “for children with disabilities to count, they must be counted – at birth, at school and in life,” (UNICEF, 2013).

The data on the number of children “with disabilities, what disabilities these children have and how disabilities affect their lives are filled with inaccuracies. However, the State of the World’s Children 2013: Children with Disabilities says “that children with disabilities are the least likely to receive health care or go to school. They are among the most vulnerable to violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect, particularly if they are hidden or put in institutions – as many are because of social stigma or the economic cost of raising them. Children living in poverty are among the least likely to attend their local school or clinic but those who live in poverty and also have a disability are even less likely to do so. Gender is also a key factor, as girls with disabilities are less likely than boys to receive food and care” (UNICEF, 2013).

As I continue to explore the region’s website, I realize that these kinds of situations can negatively impact the emotional well-being and development of children on a long term basis, especially if these children continue to experience “a lack of official recognition, being cut off from the social services and legal protections that are crucial to their survival and prospects” (UNICEF, 2013). These children will also suffer the long term effects of low-self-worth as well as dying early without being given the “opportunities to fulfill their ambitions” (UNICEF, 2013).  

Consequently, the region‘s governments are being urged to “ratify and implement the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.  The governments are also called upon to support families so that they can meet the higher costs of caring for children with disabilities” (UNICEF, 2013). This is also ratified by UNICEF regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Bernt Aasen who categorically states that, “our vision is that by 2016 every child with a disability in Latin America and the Caribbean is born without HIV, has a birth certificate, is not placed in an institution and has access to inclusive, quality, culturally acceptable and free health services and primary and secondary education” (UNICEF, 2013).

As I reflect on the insights that I have gained from doing this blog assignment, it is my firm believe that every member of the society should be given the chance to thrive in an environment that respects the dignity of the human being. Regardless of abilities or disabilities, no one should be despised, deprived, disrespected or dehumanized because they are considered less than others. As an early childhood professional, my heart has been deeply touched to be more empathetic, compassionate, and patient with all my students but especially with those who have disabilities. My heart is also moved to continue learning more about the different disabilities so that I can be more proactive in providing whatever services, resources and activities that these children and their families may need to assist them to thrive in a society that is so cold and callous towards disabilities.

Reference

UNICEF in Latin America and the Caribbean. The State of the World’s Children 2013. Children

with Disabilities. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/latinamerica.html