PARAGUAY POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC UPDATE, JULY 15 -

UNCLAS ASUNCION 000749 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR EB/IFD/OIA AND INL - ABBY SMITH STATE PASS TO USAID FOR LAC/AA STATE PASS TO USTR FOR LYANG NSC FOR SUE CRONIN TREASURY FOR OSIA MAUREEN WAFER TREASURY FOR OTA WARFIELD, VAN KOCH, MILLAR COMMERCE FOR ITA SARAH COOK SOUTHCOM FOR POLAD E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM SMIG KWMN PA SUBJECT: PARAGUAY POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC UPDATE, JULY 15 - 21 2006 ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: -- Ambassador Donates Computers for TIP -- Poor Children Forced into Shelters -- 60 Percent of Adolescents Out of School -------------- Ambassador Donates Computers for TIP -------------- ¶2. (U) On 7/20, the Ambassador donated four computers to the Secretariat of Repatriations to assist the office in SIPDIS supporting victims of trafficking to return home, digitize their records and allow for the opportunity to communicate more effectively with other agencies involved in assisting victims. Nicacia Maldonado, Minister of the Secretariat, accepted the donation and spoke to the press with the Ambassador about our collaborated efforts to combat TIP. Repatriations has long been underfunded and still does not have a sufficient number of computers for the more than 30 employees in the office. This donation exemplifies the continued support that -------------- Poor Children Forced into Shelters -------------- ¶3. (U) On 7/18, youth judge Ana Ovelar and Director of Housing in the Ministry of Justice Maria Auxiliadora Martinez intervened with the Spanish-run NGO, Remar, which is accused of misusing funds for the children. On 7/12, Santos Merino, the director of Remar committed to presenting documents to the court within 48 hours, however he failed to do so. The documents requested are in relation to the money that Remar received from the Paraguayan Government in subsidies for the maintenance of Remar shelters. Ovelar and Martinez went to the central office of Remar in Asuncion to confiscate the documents. It is suspected that Remar is illegally exporting furniture and crafts to Spain, taking advantage of the fact that the organization is exempt from taxes. The case is being presented to Attorney General Ruben Candia Amarilla. ¶4. (U) On 7/19, it was reported that 2,573 minors under the age of 18 are living in one of the 56 shelters in Paraguay, according to a census conducted by the Institution of Comparative Studies in Punitive and Social Sciences (INECIP) with support from the United Nations Children,s Fund (UNICEF). Carlos Mazuera, a representative of UNICEF, noted that this is a call for attention, as to why so many children are being institutionalized. Mazuera stated that the Convention on Children,s Rights declared that the family is a child,s natural environment and children should only be institutionalized as a last resort. Mazuera emphasized that poverty is not a reason for institutionalizing a child. Eduardo Gallardo, an official of the UNICEF project, confirmed that building more shelters is not the solution for child poverty, as living in these shelters puts children at higher risks, alluding to the accusations of sexual abuse of minors living in the Remar shelters. ¶5. (U) On 7/19, it was also reported that 27 children have disappeared from Remar shelters. The houses in question are located in Itagua, San Lorenzo, two in Fernando de la Mora, and one in Asuncion. On 7/17, officials from the Ministry of Justice went to a shelter where 10 children are reported to live, however only 4 were actually there. Ovelar met with Santos Merino to discuss the missing children. -------------- 60 Percent of Children Out of School -------------- ¶6. (U) On 7/19, the National Advisory of Education and Culture (CONEC) released a report indicating that more than 230,000 adolescents between the ages of 15 and 17 are not/not in school. This represents 60 percent of that age group. The Ministry of Education stated that the purpose of secondary school is to prepare students to enter the work force or centers of higher education. CONEC recommends improving the education system in Paraguay first, and then addressing the problem of delinquency. The current goal of CONEC is to centralize education reform in order to achieve a minimum standard of quality, and then to increase participation. The study found that on average a family pays approximately 106 USD per child, per year for secondary education, and the government pays 353 USD per child per year. The report notes that in Paraguay the budget for education per person is three times lower than the regional average. CASON