Strengthening the rights of children and youth in Canada and beyond
Professor Henry Parada is leading a research partnership that seeks to strengthen the rights of children and youth in Canada and internationally.
A research partnership spanning seven countries is advancing the rights of children by examining policies, immigration dynamics, institutional practices, the impacts of violence on youth and more.
The Rights for Children and Youth Partnership (RCYP), led by Toronto Metropolitan University School of Social Work professor Henry Parada, has been investigating the factors affecting the protections for children and youth across the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and their diasporic populations residing in Canada. The partnership includes researchers, governmental and non-governmental organizations, and collaborators from across these countries.
“For us, one of the main goals is to understand how institutions respond to the needs of children and youth regarding their rights. So, we have spent a tremendous amount of time mapping out how the different child welfare systems in the region respond to their needs,” said professor Parada. The researchers have investigated how children and youth rights are being protected, and have published their findings in both English and Spanish journals, conferences and collaborations. They determined that while several of the countries have ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and have passed legislation, practical application is uneven across the region, affected by challenges such as migration, gang and state violence, as well as political upheaval.
Project coordinator and researcher Verónica Escobar Olivo said their research is going beyond youth empowerment to explore institutional responsibility so that rights are guaranteed, whether or not the young people are aware of them. “The quality of care that children receive in the three systems [the education, child protection and judicial systems] shouldn’t be dependent on what they know, it should just be a systemic responsibility,” she said.
Professor Parada said the Government of Canada has and can continue to exert positive influence in the region through its diplomatic relations with governments in Central America to strengthen the rights of children and youth. In Canada and Ontario, the RCYP is examining the experiences of diasporic communities of Caribbean and Latin American children, youth and their families with institutions like the education and child welfare systems. The researchers are particularly interested in highlighting the challenges and barriers facing Latin American youth and their families that lead to over-representation in the child protection system and high school dropout rates.
Successful initiatives that have aided Black communities could be adapted to help Latin American families navigate these systems in Canada, says professor Parada. Another issue they have found through interviewing youth is the lack of Latin American representation in both peers and teachers in the education system. Increasing that representation – and also ensuring those representatives have the opportunity to offer their insights and background during decision-making – is critical, notes researcher Escobar Olivo. Additionally, professor Parada highlights that involving and planning with families, as well as informing new immigrants about the expectations around parent-child dynamics in Canada, could help to improve outcomes.
The Strengthening Institutional Responses conference, hosted by the RCYP on August 16-18, focused on improving inter-institutional dialogues and strengthening practices to better advance and protect the rights of children and youth nationally and internationally.
Read ‘“I Just Want to Belong Somewhere”: Latinx Youth’s Experiences in the Education System in Ontario, Canada’ (external link, opens in new window) in the Journal of Latinos and Education.
Read “Many households but never a home: stories of resistance from Black youth navigating placement instability in Ontario’s child welfare system" (external link, opens in new window) in the Journal of Youth Studies.
Learn more about RCYP. (external link, opens in new window)
This research has been supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada’s Partnership and Connection Grants programs.