Street-working children in Latin America: a critical perspective.

This article critically explores the complex realities faced by street-working children (SWC) in Latin America, highlighting historical and structural inequalities-such as coloniality, heteropatriarchy, and neoliberal capitalism-that perpetuate their marginalisation. Hegemonic public policies tend to focus narrowly on control, normalisation, and short-term relief, often neglecting the deeper systemic issues that sustain these vulnerabilities. This study calls for a shift towards alternative frameworks of public policy analysis that permit addressing the socio-political and cultural specificities of Latin America from a decolonial perspective. By incorporating affective, semiotic, and material dimensions, the Affective Interstice Theory provides analytical tools to understand how policy discourses not only shape the emotional and material experiences of those involved but also reinforce existing power structures. These insights reveal critical opportunities for resistance and transformative change, urging the development of policies that do more than address immediate needs-policies that actively dismantle the structural dynamics underpinning the marginalisation of SWC. The article underscores the need for contextualised approaches that engage with the complexity of local realities, offering a path towards more equitable and just policy outcomes across the region.

My culture soothes.

In the poignant words of a 12-year-old indigenous girl from the Pijao ethnicity (Tolima, Colombia), who shared her perspective before succumbing to leukaemia, we gain a profound understanding of health from her unique cultural viewpoint. Growing up in El Escobal, indigenus community, with her sister, she experienced the spiritual strength and unity that their culture attributes to twins. For her, health was deeply intertwined with the traditions and rituals of her people, emphasising the healing powers of plants and spiritual harmonisation.She observed a stark contrast between indigenous and Western perspectives on medicine and spirituality. In her reflection, the young girl highlighted the universal language of mutual learning and support that transcends cultural differences. Her message underscores the importance of cultural harmony and the healing power of shared human experiences, advocating for a world where diverse beliefs and practices contribute to collective strength and understanding.This text was her response to the question, "What is health?" as part of one of the methodological exercises in the doctoral research of Pinzón-Segura MC. Teoría del Intersticio Afectivo: Un nuevo enfoque feminista decolonial de análisis de políticas públicas [Internet]. Bogotá: Repositorio virtual de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia; 2024. The thesis, awarded with the distinction of summa cum laude, included various methods such as participant observation, sociological interviews, and discourse analysis of government documents. The question "What is health?" specifically guided 40 creative narrative workshops, which were an integral component of the ethnography and arts-based research design.

Deliberative dialogue on euthanasia in girls, boys and adolescents. Prequel to the Cabildo Ciudadano (Citizen Council) carried out in Colombia

Background: To date, there is a lack of published information on the utilization of the Deliberative dialogue methodology and the right to a dignified death in minors under 18 years of age in Colombia and Latin America. Objective: To examine the issue of children and adolescents' entitlement to a dignified death, including the criteria for exclusion, and to formulate a comprehensive plan for pediatric palliative care. A public policy document will be created with the aim of supporting the implementation of Resolution 825/2018. Methods: Participatory Action Research utilizing a Deliberative dialogue methods that has been adapted based on feminist epistemological principles. Results: The outcome of the exercise was the production of a document containing Public Policy recommendations regarding euthanasia in minors and its submission to the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of Colombia a few days prior to the release of the Resolution regulating the right to a dignified death for this population. Additionally, the conclusions of this event enabled the creation of a guide for the implementation of (Cabildos Ciudadanos) Citizen Council, in which girls, boys, and adolescents are included, trans-disciplinarity is encouraged, and feminist epistemological foundations are explored. Conclusions: The deliberative dialogue method may serve as a cost-efficient alternative to replace or complement participatory approaches utilized in the development of public health guidelines and policies.

Antecedentes: En Colombia y Latinoamérica no se cuenta con registros publicados de temas abordados desde los metodos del diálogo deliberativo frente a temas de salud sobre la población pediátrica. Objetivo: El diálogo deliberativo fue utilizado para deliberar sobre el derecho a la muerte digna en niñas, niños y adolescentes, sus criterios de exclusión, y el marco de acción de los cuidados paliativos pediátricos. Métodos: Investigación acción participativa recurriendo a la metodología Deliberative Poll. Resultados: Redacción de un documento de recomendaciones de Política Pública en torno a la eutanasia en población pediátrica y entrega del mismo al Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social de Colombia días previos a la expedición de la Resolución que reglamentó el derecho a morir con dignidad para esta población; así mismo, las conclusiones de este ejercicio posibilitaron la estructuración de una guía metodológica para la realización de Cabildos Ciudadanos en donde se integra a niñas, niños y adolescentes. Conclusiones: el diálogo deliberativo puede constituirse en una alternativa costo-eficiente para reemplazar o complementar metodologías de participación empleadas en la construcción de lineamientos y políticas públicas en salud.

Cabildo ciudadano sobre eutanasia: participación social en salud y formación ciudadana / Citizen council on euthanasia: social participation in health and citizen formation / Cabildo Cidadão sobre eutanásia: participação social na saúde e formação cidadã

Resumen (analítico) El artículo describe la implementación del cabildo ciudadano sobre eutanasia en niños, niñas y adolescentes en Colombia. Se realizó un estudio cualitativo exploratorio, de tipo investigación-acción-participativa. En la primera fase se conformaron tres paneles: formador, implicados y ciudadanos, y se llevaron a cabo dos etapas de deliberación: formativa y pública. En la fase de análisis de contenido (orientada por preguntas dirigidas a los ciudadanos), se caracterizó al minipúblico involucrado. Se destaca como hallazgos centrales la transformación de la opinión de las y los ciudadanos participantes, así como de sus capacidades deliberativas, lo que permitió dar cuenta de la efectividad de la metodología para facilitar que las y los ciudadanos formulen recomendaciones consensuadas en temas complejos y contribuyan en procesos de formación en democracia y participación social en salud.

Abstract (analytical) The article describes the implementation of the Citizen Council on euthanasia in children and adolescents in Colombia. An exploratory qualitative study using the participatory action research methodology was carried out. In the first phase, three panels were created with trainers, stakeholders and citizens, and two deliberative stages (formative and public) were carried out. In another phase involving content analysis -guided by questions addressed to citizens- a characterization of the minipublic involved in the deliberative exercise was made. The transformation of the opinions of the participating citizens, as well as their deliberative capacities, is a central finding of the study. The authors identified the effectiveness of the methodology to facilitate citizen's design of consensual recommendations about complex issues, as well as contributing to pedagogical processes related to democracy and social participation in health training.

Resumo (analítico) O artigo descreve a implementação do Conselho Cidadão sobre a eutanásia nas crianças e adolescentes na Colômbia. Foi realizado um estudo qualitativo exploratório de pesquisa-ação-participativa. Na primeira fase foram criados três painéis, formadores, intervenientes e cidadãos, e realizadas duas fases de deliberação (formativa e pública). Numa outra fase, de análise de conteúdo -orientada por questões dirigidas aos cidadãos-, foi feita a caracterização do mini público envolvido no exercício deliberativo. A transformação da opinião dos cidadãos participantes, bem como das suas capacidades deliberativas, destaca-se como descoberta central, o que permitiu perceber a eficácia da metodologia para facilitar a formulação de recomendações consensuais sobre questões complexas pelos cidadãos, assim como para contribuir no desenvolvimento de processos pedagógicos de formação em democracia e participação social em saúde.

Deliberative dialogue on euthanasia in girls, boys and adolescents. Prequel to the Cabildo Ciudadano (Citizen Council) carried out in Colombia.

Background: To date, there is a lack of published information on the utilization of the Deliberative dialogue methodology and the right to a dignified death in minors under 18 years of age in Colombia and Latin America. Objective: To examine the issue of children and adolescents' entitlement to a dignified death, including the criteria for exclusion, and to formulate a comprehensive plan for pediatric palliative care. A public policy document will be created with the aim of supporting the implementation of Resolution 825/2018. Methods: Participatory Action Research utilizing a Deliberative dialogue methods that has been adapted based on feminist epistemological principles. Results: The outcome of the exercise was the production of a document containing Public Policy recommendations regarding euthanasia in minors and its submission to the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of Colombia a few days prior to the release of the Resolution regulating the right to a dignified death for this population. Additionally, the conclusions of this event enabled the creation of a guide for the implementation of (Cabildos Ciudadanos) Citizen Council, in which girls, boys, and adolescents are included, trans-disciplinarity is encouraged, and feminist epistemological foundations are explored. Conclusions: The deliberative dialogue method may serve as a cost-efficient alternative to replace or complement participatory approaches utilized in the development of public health guidelines and policies.

Antecedentes: En Colombia y Latinoamérica no se cuenta con registros publicados de temas abordados desde los metodos del diálogo deliberativo frente a temas de salud sobre la población pediátrica. Objetivo: El diálogo deliberativo fue utilizado para deliberar sobre el derecho a la muerte digna en niñas, niños y adolescentes, sus criterios de exclusión, y el marco de acción de los cuidados paliativos pediátricos. Métodos: Investigación acción participativa recurriendo a la metodología Deliberative Poll. Resultados: Redacción de un documento de recomendaciones de Política Pública en torno a la eutanasia en población pediátrica y entrega del mismo al Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social de Colombia días previos a la expedición de la Resolución que reglamentó el derecho a morir con dignidad para esta población; así mismo, las conclusiones de este ejercicio posibilitaron la estructuración de una guía metodológica para la realización de Cabildos Ciudadanos en donde se integra a niñas, niños y adolescentes. Conclusiones: el diálogo deliberativo puede constituirse en una alternativa costo-eficiente para reemplazar o complementar metodologías de participación empleadas en la construcción de lineamientos y políticas públicas en salud.

What the children tell us: the COVID-19 pandemic and how the world should respond.

While the COVID-19 pandemic and associated mitigation measures have had a devastating impact on children and youth (CY), they were rarely consulted or their views incorporated into the approaches to address the pandemic.The main objective of this review is to present the voices and opinions of CY relative to the impact of the first year of the pandemic, on their lives and the lives of their families, and to present their recommendations as a call to action to adults and governments.The origin of this review was an iterative consultation process involving an international collective of Child Health professionals specialising in Child Rights. The recruitment of articles began by soliciting articles written or recommended by members of our international Child Health professional organisation. We then developed search strategies which were conducted in two phases, with the assistance of medical librarians. We limited our search to articles that sought the direct perspectives and experiences of CY in regard to the first year of COVID-19, and published between February 2020 and February 2021.Two phases of searches identified 8131 studies for screening. Following removal of irrelevant literature, 28 studies were included for the final analysis.CY articulate the detrimental impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to their health, education, protection and basic needs, clearly and intelligently. They make specific recommendations to address the issues they elucidate. They state a need for accurate information that is targeted for them. They ask for recognition as stakeholders and social actors in the pandemic response planning and implementation processes.We assert that the recognition of CY as stakeholders in response planning for COVID-19 and other emerging crises such as climate change, must become a statutory requirement for local, national and international policy-makers. Evidence of CY participation should specifically be reported to and tracked by the Committee on the Rights of the Child.

[Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Chile, Colombia, and Peru from a children's rights perspectiveResposta à pandemia de COVID-19 no Chile, Colômbia e Peru com foco nos direitos da criança]. / Respuesta con enfoque de derechos de la niñez frente a la pandemia por COVID-19 en Chile, Colombia y Perú.

OBJECTIVE: Describe the strategies established by Chile, Colombia, and Peru during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and compare them from a children's rights perspective. METHODS: A qualitative study with comparative analysis of public policies was conducted around seven cat-egories constructed by the Latin American Chapter of the International Society for Social Pediatrics and Child Health, based on the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Country documents were selected based on convenience sampling and were analyzed in deliberative dialogues. RESULTS: 173 documents from the three countries were reviewed. There was convergence around: prioritization of prevention of community transmission of the virus over promotion of the exercise of children's rights; lack of participation of children and adolescents in the process of developing public policies; and lack of progress in the recognition and protection of the exercise of children's rights overall. There were no major divergences beyond identified inequality gaps grounded in the reality of each country. CONCLUSION: The pandemic has affected the functioning of the economic, social, health, education, environmental, and governance systems in these three countries. While this study shows progress in the inclusion of the children's rights approach in formulated policies, the recognition of children and adolescents as holders of social and political rights could allow the construction of collective alternatives that guarantee health and well-being for all people throughout the life course.

OBJETIVO: Descrever as estratégias que foram utilizadas por Chile, Colômbia e Peru durante o primeiro ano da pandemia de COVID-19 e compará-las a partir da perspectiva dos direitos da criança. MÉTODOS: Realizou-se um estudo qualitativo de análise comparativa de políticas públicas, tomando como eixo sete categorias construídas pelo Capítulo Latino-americano da International Society for Social Pediatrics & Child Health a partir da Convenção sobre os Direitos da Criança (CDC). A seleção de documentos dos países foi feita por conveniência, e sua análise ocorreu mediante diálogos deliberativos. RESULTADOS: Foram revisados 173 documentos dos três países. A prioridade da prevenção da transmissão comunitária do vírus destaca-se por sua convergência, em detrimento da promoção do exercício dos direitos da criança, da falta de participação de crianças e adolescentes no processo de formulação de políticas públicas e da falta de progresso no reconhecimento e proteção da efetivação de todos os seus direitos. Não houve grandes divergências além das lacunas de desigualdade identificadas com base na realidade de cada país. CONCLUSÕES: A pandemia afetou o funcionamento dos sistemas econômico, social, de saúde, educação, meio ambiente e governança desses três países. Embora este estudo mostre avanços na inclusão da perspectiva dos direitos da criança e do adolescente nas políticas formuladas, a compreensão deles como sujeitos sociais e políticos titulares de direitos pode permitir a construção de alternativas coletivas que garantam saúde e bem-estar a todas as pessoas ao longo do curso da vida.