Protecting Children and Adolescents in Uruguay: Civil Society’s Role in Policy Reform

Abstract

This article analyzes the advocacy efforts of civil societal actors in Uruguay who have sought to promote the rights of children. I discuss the strategies that members of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) used to achieve a greater presence in debates leading to significant policy changes in the area of child protection. Child advocates achieved relatively high levels of political mobilization and influence throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. The analysis focuses on their multi-year campaign to reform the Children's Code of 1934, which culminated in the adoption of a new Code of Childhood and Adolescence in 2004. I argue that two variables help explain their participation in policy making: effective issue framing and successful alliance building.

Civil Society Organizations, Advocacy, and Policy Making in Latin American Democracies

“…Uruguayans maintain a state-centric vision of politics, and CSOs are limited in their capacity to mobilize and propose policy alternatives (Pereira and Peregalli 2011; see also Bastarrica et al 2010). In short, Uruguay represents a difficult environment in which to test the hypotheses of the study (Risley 2014b).…”

“…42. The questionnaire asked respondents about the most serious problems facing Uruguayan children and teenagers, the issues NGO members had prioritized in their work, their advocacy strategies and activities, and their efforts during the campaign to reform the country's Code of Childhood and Adolescence, discussed in Chapter 5 (Risley 2014b). 43.…”