AMERICA/COSTA RICA – Poverty and violence afflict 34% of Costa Rica’s children

Tuesday, 16 September 2014

San José (Agenzia Fides) – One of the worse scourges afflicting minors in Costa Rica today is poverty because it hampers physical, emotional and educational development. Recent figures sent to Fides speak of 34% of the country’s children living in poverty, and of these 10.6% in struggling with extreme poverty. The percentage of cases has risen in recent years despite the fact that in recent decades poverty in the country on the whole has remained between 20% and 22%. According to the National Office for Childhood (PANI), last year about 40,000 cases of maltreatment of children were registered, and although not all were confirmed, the majority of cases these situations were real. Every day the Hospital de Niños treats an average of 5 children for injuries caused by violence. Recent initiatives undertaken by PANI include a campaign “Gracias por Cuidarme” to create awareness of the situation of abandon and solitude of so many of the smallest and most vulnerable Costa Ricans. A Hospital report quotes the directress as saying “a child should never be left alone not even for one minute, especially children who are under the age of 12”. (AP) (16/9/2014 Agenzia Fides)


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