Child Advocate: Marisa Graham will occupy the vacant position for 13 years

After 13 years, one of the biggest debts to the most vulnerable children started to settle. Marisa Graham, Family Law Specialist, was selected by a bicameral National Women's Committee
Defender of children and adolescents of the nation. That is to say, she must become the voice that will represent and watch over her rights. The next step will be for the chambers of deputies and senators to ratify, by a simple majority and within 180 days, their appointment, as well as those of Juan Facundo Hernández and Fabián Repetto as their deputies.

The position of advocate for children and adolescents was created on September 28, 2005 by the law 26.061 on the integral protection of children, in order to protect and highlight their problems, to give priority to their rights in children. Public agenda and monitor policies to protect children. While the standard provides for a 90-day deadline for appointment by the National Congress, the position remains vacant until today.

In fact, after a sentence originated in a judicial presentation promoted by civil society led by the coalition
Childhood in debt, only in 2017 a bicameral commission composed of five senators and five deputies was formed, who set up a public competition comprising four stages of evaluation: presentation of the context, written examination, formulation of work plans and exhibition in public hearing. 68 candidates were admitted who participated last year in an anonymous written exam: 15 finalists and 14 explaining their proposals.

In dialogue with
THE NATIONGraham, who was director of children and adolescents in the government of Buenos Aires, among other public functions, said he felt "joy, satisfaction and also fear, a mixture of sensations". "It's a good way to end a cycle that I started when I was very young, inaugurating such an institution, I'm very excited," she said, adding that she also found "very important" that ten women of different political persuasions accepted the bicameral before the priority which is the best interest of the boys ".

-What are the main problems that you should address as a defender?

– Firstly, the problems generated by inequalities in the most vulnerable sectors, but also by the violation of the rights of children and adolescents who, because they do not belong to these sectors, are totally invisible. Protective systems do not capture these children because they circulate in other private places, but they have also sometimes violated public and intra-family rights. The two priorities are to deal with extreme extremes, from 0 to 4 years old and from 12 to 18 years old. In the case of the youngest, the state must have more and better quality care mechanisms so that fathers and mothers can reconcile family life. and work, in addition to providing coaching in education.

– Another of your priorities is the impact on the youngest of the increasing rates of poverty and indigence?

-Of course. We always say that the presence or absence of material conditions long or short impacts the symbolic conditions to maintain the lives of our children. The more families are left without work, and the more areas of poverty and deprivation, the more the phenomenon of infantilization of poverty occurs. We thought we had raised a little, but we are facing a new crisis that is hitting us very hard and most children and teenagers are part of this group that is currently experiencing serious problems.

-And badual abuse of the child?

-The problem with the most cruel face of badual abuse on a child is the abuse towards children and adolescents. The adult world does with the bodies of children what they dare not do with couples: zamarrearlos, insult them, shout at them, hit them. This idea that the bloody words enter still resonates somewhere. The most cruel expression, among others, is badual abuse, as well as child trafficking and child labor. Here we have to work hard on prevention. I have spent many years of my life studying the relationship between adults and children's bodies and their subjugation. In addition, abuse has something to do with the sense of ownership that adults have of our own children. We are talking about "my children" or "my students", as if they were objects of our property and we could do what we wanted with them.

-What is your position regarding the legalization of abortion? As a lawyer, are you going to fix the problem?

I am in favor of the decriminalization of abortion under the terms of the bill that was introduced, as well as to the 14 candidates who pbaded the exam. But I do not think the mediator should take this flag, because before we have a lot of others. Yes, I believe that as an advocate I have to lobby for the Comprehensive Sex Education Act (ESI).

-What is the first thing you intend to do when you suppose?

-The first thing that interests me is to meet the defenders of the children and adolescents of the five provinces that have this figure (La Pampa, Córdoba, Misiones, Santa Fe and Santiago del Estero) and share with them the diagnosis. only with the attachments we present to achieve this result. In addition, present it before the legislature and the judiciary. On the other hand, one of the first tasks is to try to ensure that the defender and advocate are extended to all provinces that do not have it.

Great challenges

The bicameral who was the final weight of the competition and issued a notice of appointment of Graham was composed of deputies Samanta Acerenza (Pro), Carla Carrizo (radical evolution), Soledad Carrizo (UCR / Change), Verónica Mercado (FpV) and Vería Florencia Peñaloza Marianetti (We are SAN JUAN); and Senators Gladys González (Front Pro), Pamela Verasay (UCR / Change), Norma Durango (Justicialist Party La Pampa), Sigrid Kunath (Justicialist) and Anabel Fernández Sagasti (FpV),

"The establishment of the Office of the Ombudsperson for Children and Adolescents is urgent because children are the most at risk population, because of the poverty suffered by more than half of girls and boys because of the income of their children, family groups, as well as deficits in public policies that do not guarantee their equal access to their rights ", stressed the Civil Association for Equality and justice (ACIJ), member of Children in Debt.

Carmen Ryan, ACIJ's Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Coordinator, said, "Tracking the budget and investing in child-related issues is one of the key functions of the Ombudsman. : The budget for children is legally immaterial, that is to say that it can not be regressive over time or undergo changes or reallocations, as was the case the year before. In the same vein, he added, "The ongoing changes are illegal and undermine the rights of boys and girls, and we understand that it is essential to monitor investments in children and respect for the law. "

What are the responsibilities according to the law

Role

• He will be responsible for the protection and promotion of the rights enshrined in the National Constitution, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and national laws.

functions

• Promoting actions for the protection of diffuse or collective interests related to children
• Intervene actions for the protection of their rights in any lawsuit, court or tribunal
• Guarantee the effective respect of the legal rights and guarantees guaranteed to children and promote judicial and extrajudicial measures in the case
• Initiate actions to apply sanctions to offenses committed against child protection standards
• Supervise public and private entities that care for children or host them temporarily or permanently. The defender must report to the competent authorities any irregularity that threatens or violates the rights of the child.
• Require, for the exercise of their functions, the badistance of the public force, as well as services of medical care and education, public or private
• Provide advice of any kind to children and their families, through an appropriate organization
• Advise children and their families about public, private and community resources, where they can use to solve their problems
• Intervene in case of mediation or conciliation board
• Receive any type of complaint filed by children or with respect to them personally or through a free and permanent phone service. And you have to give the immediate course to the requirement in question.

Duration of the charge

• 5 years and can be reelected only once