Horrific story.

Step 1: make drug addiction a health problem, not a legal one.

Addiction should be treated, not penalised.

Lisa Jones wrote on Apr 29^th, 2023 at 2:30pm:


The girl would probably still be alive today if the mother wasn't a drug addict.

Ignoring the drug problem in this instance is silly - it's the reason she sold the girl.

There are many steps that need to be taken, and in regards to drug addicts selling their children for drugs the first step is addressing the drug problem so that future tragedies like this can be avoided.

Kids in dangerous situations right now?  Friends and neighbours need to report it.

greggerypeccary wrote on Apr 29^th, 2023 at 2:36pm:


Things don't look good in Paraguay:

Violence. A 2015 study done by UNICEF and the NGO Beca found that six out of every
ten Paraguayan children and adolescents (61%) suffer physical and/or psychological violence.

Sexual abuse. According to Juan Miguel Petit, the United Nations Special Rapporteur
on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography from 2001 to 2008, two
out of three sex workers in Paraguay are minors and most begin that work between the
ages of 12 and 13. At the same time, 4.7% of Paraguayan women were sexually abused
before the age of 10 years and another 16% were sexually abused between the ages of
10 and 14.

COUNTRY ACTION PLAN
NATIONAL SECRETARIAT FOR
CHILDREN & ADOLESCENTS
NATIONAL GOVERNMENT

PARAGUAY AND CHILD PROTECTION
AGAINST ABUSE AND ALL FORMS OF VIOLENCE
IN THE NEW 2015-2030 SUSTAINABLEDEVELOPMENT AGENDA

Strengthening Child Protection in Paraguay

Paraguay has a large proportion of young people, with around 35% of the population being under 14 years of age. Due to many factors, thousands of these Paraguayan children and adolescents face protection issues. These factors include the widely accepted use of corporal punishment, high levels of poverty resulting in many children on the street and a lack of a quality judicial system that does not put the best interest of the child at the centre. Resulting protection issues include neglect, sexual exploitation, trafficking and child labour. Many children are at high risk of abuse within their family and are at risk of being removed from their homes. In addition, over 90% of children without parental care are in institutions, far from their communities of origin, and only an average of 5% live in accredited foster families. There are also children who are ‘lost’ or ‘forgotten’ in the court system.

Lisa Jones wrote on Apr 29^th, 2023 at 2:57pm:


There's a lot of good information there.

Needless to say, being a kid in Paraguay is no picnic   

John Smith wrote on Apr 29^th, 2023 at 3:04pm:

greggerypeccary wrote on Apr 29^th, 2023 at 2:59pm:


Sadly .... it’s quite normal for the kids there to be taken advantage of 😔🥺😩