26 - Social Justice Issues for Children and Young People in Peru and Other Latin American Countries

Summary

This chapter examines sociodemographic, economic, and human realities of Peru’s current health and mental health situation focused on Peru’s child and adolescent population segments. After making clear that the facts about the country can be also seen as reflecting the status of Latin America as a continent, the text describes six social contexts (family life, community and neighborhood, education and learning opportunities, healthcare and protection services, societal involvements, and safety and security issues) as scenarios in which social justice-related events tend to occur. Threats and barriers of a diverse nature (poverty, corruption, violence, life in the streets, internal migrations, social interactions, and public health deficiencies) make the contexts evolve into a variety of disruptions and anomalies that almost inevitably compromise the physical, emotional, and social stability of the younger, vulnerable subpopulations under study. Such disruptions are rightly conceptualized as social justice violations that, throughout history, have been the subject of general and specific interventions in various terrains: education, healthcare, ethics, social problems, etc. The cultural nature at the root of all interventions is systematically assessed, and their changing features of success or failure and options for future improvements are described. Special subsections are devoted to programs in Peru and other Latin American countries that have specific social justice-oriented management targets.