With Creation of DINAF, Honduras Steps Up Efforts to Protect its Children

IIMA and VIDES attended the Convention on the Right of the Child (CRC) for Honduras on Wednesday, May 20, 2015. This Convention addresses all Human Rights associated with children, including the right to education, migration and the presence of unaccompanied minors, violence and insecurity, child labor, etc. At the request of the Committee, the Honduran delegation presented information about improvements to each of these human rights issues since the last CRC.

The main concern raised by the Committee was how the government is addressing the root causes of major and interconnected issues such as gang participation and violence, lack of education and economic opportunities, migration and human trafficking, lack of adequate healthcare, and family reunification, both internationally and domestically. While the delegation mentioned specific programs and improvements to specific problematic areas, it is with the long-term, overarching improvement that the committed was most concerned.

In 2014, the Honduran government established the Directorate of Childhood, Adolescence, and Family (DINAF) as an umbrella organization to address all human rights violations against children. It is part of the National Human Rights Institute. With this new entity, it will be easier for the government to identify gaps in coverage, act in concert with local authorities and programs, and measure effectiveness to better manage resources.

As IIMA and VIDES are most concerned with education, we are in what is being done to address the lack of available secondary education for 58% of the population and stoppage time, sometimes for 2-3 years. The government has centralized this in DINAF and can now oblige schools to stay open. They also are considering lengthening the school day and already include classes two Saturdays per month to catch up students that have experienced stoppage.