| 53
School Defence Centres for Children and Adolescents (Defensorías Escolares del Niño y del Adolescente, desnas) are, as the name suggests, based in schools and colleges. This service is based on the conviction that boys, girls and adolescents should be the ones who take leading roles to support and defend their classmates: In the desnas, students take the defence of their interests into their own hands. They guarantee their registration, fight against all forms of abuse and promote joint action. It is important that friendly schools also lead the way in providing care and a place for listening that enables an ongoing space for citizenship to function normally, providing the best possible conditions for teaching practice and learning. (David Roca Basadre, Head of the Guardianship and Comprehensive Prevention Office in the Peruvian Ministry of Education, 2002)
The defence role is carried out by one or several teachers, teaching assistants or administrative staff in the school. These are usually people who are well liked and respected, both professionally and personally, by the students. They also need to be sensitive to topics affecting childhood and show a confidential and conciliatory approach, and they should possess a good level of self-esteem and professional balance. This model has produced some good results. Adolescents are starting to
demand that their rights are respected, and show willingness to report cases of physical, psychological and sexual abuse even in the face of shame and fear about possible reprisals. Community Defence Centres for Children and Adolescents (Defensorías Comunitarias del Niño y del Adolescente, deconas) developed out of the social commitment of grassroots organisations, community
that they should be salaried and permanent. The need for more data collection and evaluation
There are currently more than 2000 dnas across the country, and they are places that people recognise immediately. The number of registered cases they have dealt with has reached 160,200,1 a figure that includes problems with maintenance
The defence role is usually carried out by people who are well liked and respected, both professionally and personally.
associations, neighbourhood councils and rural and indigenous communities. Their rural work means that they tend to be based far away from town centres. They are recognised as public authorities, but the ombudsmen provide their services on an unpaid basis. This means that setting up a Community Defence Centre involves the need to train working teams. The voluntary nature of the work of the decona centres has produced some contradictory results. Although it guarantees their sustainability and ensures they are well run, it can also prove to be their greatest threat. The work of volunteers would not be possible without ongoing training and money to cover running costs, even though some ombudsmen argue
payments, recognition of offspring, registering births, school registration, family violence, crimes against sexual freedom, neglect, visiting and custody arrangements. The dnas intervene in such issues in three main ways: • promotion, which involves actions aimed at changing people’s attitudes, views and behaviour • vigilance, which involves informing and mobilising the population and asking them to monitor the authorities, and • attention to the rights of boys, girls and adolescents. There is ample anecdotal evidence that dna services are vital and have helped many people, even the ombudsmen themselves:
Bernard van Leer Foundation | Early Childhood Matters | June 2011