Paniamor

By

Fundación Paniamor

Apartado 376-2150 Moravia
San José
Costa Rica

tel: 506-225 5031
fax: 506-234 2956
e-mail: [email protected]

Every nation that aspires to exercise its right to development in a
sustainable way must first secure the well-being of the most valuable human
resource: children and youth. Guaranteeing their rights and satisfying
their needs become essential prerequisites for reaching this ideal.

Yet for complex social, political, economic, and cultural reasons, in Costa
Rica –as in other countries– nonmilitary forms of violence that limit
child and adolescent development have been concealed and often
legitimated. Such violence ranges from sexual exploitation of children
to domestic violence, from child labor to institutional violence, from
discrimination to the lack of real opportunities for young people. It
hinders the development of our nation.

The PANIAMOR Foundation works to stop this violence.

PANIAMOR is a private, not-for-profit, nonpartisan organization that was
founded in Costa Rica in 1987.

The Foundation s purpose is to eliminate the violation of the rights of
people under the age of 18 in Costa Rica. By providing information and
training service, and engaging in policy advocacy, PANIAMOR promotes
social mobilization towards the achievement of its institutional purpose.
At PANIAMOR, social mobilization is understood as the planned and
strategic implementation of collective practices by members of a social
group intended to modify certain social characteristics that condition
their lives. Parents and children, community and religious leaders,
professionals in key sectors, researchers, politicians, and policy makers
are essential participants in the Foundation s proposal for lasting
social change.

PANIAMOR executes its programs with the support of a team of
professionals in psychology, psychiatry, communications, law, education,
philosophy, management, and social work, and the commitment of its
administrative staff and volunteers.


WITH A PHILOSOPHY THAT…

Recognizes the leadership potential of children and youth as the basis
for the sustainable development of a nation.

Understands that violence includes all actions and omissions that inhibit
young people s preferential right to development.

Conceives of education –the core of all PANIAMOR s work– as the
instrument for social change.


AND A STRATEGY THAT…

Selects target groups based on their vulnerability and risk level; or,
their capacity to influence decision-makers and produce changes in society.

Seeks new alliances that can improve the impact and the scope of the
programs, and the autonomy and permanence of the organization.

Accompanies similar processes in the region because PANIAMOR knows that
in an era of globalization, all social change is affected –positively
or negatively– by conditions that respect no national borders.

The mass media has been a strategically in every aspect of the
Foundation s works. The media s contribution has been significant in the
development of violence prevention campaigns, the dissemination of
relevant information, and the convening of other national actors.

PANIAMOR IS… TRAINING

The Training Program…

– consists of three principal components: Child Abuse Prevention
(P.A.N.), Justice for Children, and Self-Improvement and Orientation
(A.M.O.R.);

– operates along a continuum that on one extreme seeks to combat the
vulnerability of children and on the other promotes the development of
their human potential. Both ends of the continuum foster the resilience
of the populations served.

The objective of the Training Program is to develop the human resources
needed to eliminate the violation of the rights of people under the age
of 18. Participants in these activities include children, adolescents,
and adults who come from diverse regions in the country and represent key
sectors of society.

Children
Workshops with pre-school and elementary school children use
dramatizations, puppet shows, groups collages, and other participatory
techniques. These workshops aim to reinforce the right that children
have to a life free of violence. A special module has been developed to
work on this issue with disabled children.

Adolescent
Activities with youth are oriented towards strengthening their
self-esteem and ability to communicate in an assertive way with others.
The training sessions help them recognize and confront situations of
risk, and promote the development of support networks by and for young people.

Parents
In PANIAMOR s work with parents, a first objective is that mothers and
fathers recognize their children as people with rights. The training
modules address the prevention of child abuse and provide innovative
educational models that can foster better relationships within families.

Communities
At the community level, PANIAMOR facilitates the organized participation
of leaders and groups in the prevention of violence against young
people, building on the existing resources and in response to the
particular needs of each community.

Professionals in Health Care and Education
These professionals are in a strategic position to collaborate in
different ways in the prevention of violence and the defense of the
rights of children and youth. PANIAMOR works with these populations in
order to maximize their capacity to address such issues.

Professionals in the Justice System
Personnel receive specialized knowledge and techniques that allow them
to provide an informed and respectful service for children and
adolescent who come into contact with the system. The support of the
Supreme Court of Justice, and its Justice School, has been critical for
the success of this effort.

Religious Groups
PANIAMOR began its activities in this sector by developing a module in
child abuse prevention for catechism instructors and priests in the
Catholic Church. The training stresses their important role in the fight
against domestic violence. New modules wil be adapted for work with
other religious denominations.

PANIAMOR IS INFORMATION…

The Information Program has been designed to promote a process of
reflection and action in society. It consists of two components:

Dialogues for Children
These talks on specialized topics motivate group and individual
commitment to the integral well-being of children and youth. The topics
include, among others, self-esteem and adolescence, abuse prevention,
family discipline, assertive communication, and the rights of children.

Pronino Center
The International Center for the Welfare and Rights of the Child,
created in 1992, seeks to promote changes in society through the
exchange of experiences and knowledge, emphasizing the the participation
of young people and the value of an open dialogue between generations.

Pronino offers the following services:

Documentation Center: Compiles and processes specialized information
about children, youth, and families and disseminates it strategically in
Costa Rica and the region.

The Documentation Center s collection of printed and video-taped
materials, classified according to the articles of the U.N. Convention
on the Rights of the Child, responds to the diverse information needs of
elementary, high school, and university students; researchers;
institutions; and other members of the community.

Forum: Regularly convenes key social actors for the analysis of current
issues, the presentation of research findings, and the generation of
proposals for action.

Publications: Publishes pamphlets, training manuals, new research, and
the magazine Pronino.

PANIAMOR IS… ADVOCACY AND CONVENING

The effectiveness of the Foundation s work to eliminate the violation of
the rights of people under the age of 18 requires the coordinated and
integrated action of diverse sectors within a process of social
mobilization. The Training and Information Programs contribute to this
process. These efforts are complemented with a strong presence of
PANIAMOR as facilitator and advocate of legislative, political and
social changes of vital significance to the populations we serve. The
Foundation does this by…

…establishing alliances with other members of society to develop
alternative and alterative policies in response to specific needs of
children and youth, and…

…ensuring the genuine participation of children and adolescents in
critical policy debates and decisions.