Ombudsperson for Children 2021 Annual Report

Presentation

“We trust that this third Annual Report of the Ombudsperson for Children’s Office will become one more input for those who, as of March 2022, assume the responsibility of leading the country.”

Patricia Muñoz García

Ombudsperson for Children

Foreword

“There are many problems that remain invisible, due to lack of interest or because they affect the most vulnerable of the vulnerable. That is undoubtedly one of the fighting banners of the Ombudsperson for Children’s Office and it is an important part of the effort that this annual report faces”.

Michelle Bachelet Jeria

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

“As president of the Constitutional Convention, I deeply value the intention and the work carried out in this report. Without a doubt, we must broaden the conceptualization of citizen participation, incorporating children and adolescents”.

Elisa Loncón Antileo

President of the Constitutional Convention

Institutional Public Account

This first part reports the actions the institution carried out between June 29, 2020, and June 29, 2021. The main milestones in the period and the report of the initiatives of each of its substantive processes are surveyed: management of findings, promotion and dissemination of rights, protection, and judicial representation, and observation and monitoring. In addition, the fieldwork of macro zones and institutional challenges are presented.

Constituent Process

In the second part, we present arguments on why the participation of children and adolescents in the constituent process is to be considered, justifying it from international human rights law and theories about democracy and its legitimacy. In addition, we single out challenges and recommendations for the Constitutional Convention.

Children’s Human Rights in Chile

The third part consists of six thematic chapters. These address the state of children and adolescents in special vulnerability situations human rights situations (early childhood, under the care of the State and Mapuche), as well as the status of legal representation offered for children and adolescents, and analysis from the public function of the fulfillment of the rights of children and adolescents by the State of Chile.