(ANS - La Paz) - Between October 2014 and April 2015 the Salesian University of Bolivia (USB) and the International Volunteers for Development (VIS), in collaboration with the relevant government agency and under the patronage of the Bolivian Episcopal Conference, have achieved recognition for a Master's Degree in the Rights of the Child.

The Master’s is the first major action of the three-year project "Children's Rights in Bolivia" co-financed by the Italian Episcopal Conference and managed by various Salesian bodies – the Salesian Society, the  Salesian University of Bolivia, Escuelas Populares de Don Bosco and the Project Office for Bolivia - in collaboration with VIS.

The Master’s course had 230 students. It followed a theoretical and practical approach, inspired by the Salesian Preventive System, using lectures (two modules) and online sessions (4 modules) and giving the students the possibility of participating actively in the discussion and the exchange through an online platform used by USB. The teachers are Latin American and European academics, professionals from major international organizations (ILO, UNICEF...). They instructed the students for seven months and guided them through the nineteen tests required.

The multidisciplinary approach synthesized elements of law, pedagogy, psychology, sociology, history and different levels of analysis (legal, cultural and practical ...) from academic and non-academic sources.

The content was designed specifically for the Bolivian context. It emphasized the right to education and to play in opposition to the issue of child labour, a very delicate issue in the country. The right to family is one of the biggest challenges in a country where there is a low level of adoption and foster care, and many children spend long periods in large orphanages. The right to protection from violence is another challenge since children often have to face situations of abuse, maltreatment, neglect and severe bullying. Specific attention was also paid to the rights of children who have committed a crime or to children with disabilities, given that the country still lacks appropriate laws in this area.

"Finally, the Master’s programme strongly emphasized the 'principle of participation', i.e. recognition of the right of children to have their say on issues that concern them," said Lorenzo Marfisi, project coordinator and one of the teachers of the course.

The course was demanding and the outcome was not automatic - only 80% of the participants were admitted to the final test. A second course is already being planned.

Published 8/04/2015