Submitted by crinadmin on
Summary: On 9 December, eight Costa Rican political parties revealed their government proposals for child issues during a public forum organised by the Coalition for the Defense and Promotion of the Rights of the Child (COSECODENI). COSECODENI is made up of several non-governmental organisations (NGOs) which World Vision Costa Rica is a part of.
In the lead-up to the 2006 elections in the country, the objective of this presentation was to give the parties an opportunity to present their commitment to and proposals for guaranteeing the accomplishment of the rights of children in Costa Rica. Three presidential candidates and five party representatives answered COSECODENI’s questions for almost three hours, which were focused on four topics: Investment in Children; Institutional Reforms and Law Enforcement; National Protection System and Social Politics. The information provided the NGOs with information that will allow them to monitor and follow up on any commitments made by the party that wins the election. “This forum gave us interesting information. There are parties with a clearer vision than others that are in line with the child rights approach; yet some have old fashioned proposals and that’s concerning because although they may not win, they will probably be a part of the opposition which has an influence too.” said Catalina, from another NGO. Costa Rica will hold its next election in February 2006. Campaigning is already underway.