Abstract

PARADA, Henry et al. Exploring the Child Protection System in El Salvador. Rev.latinoam.cienc.soc.niñez juv [online]. 2023, vol.21, n.1, pp.95-118.  Epub Apr 17, 2023. ISSN 1692-715X.  https://doi.org/10.11600/rlcsnj.21.1.5593.

This study explores the institutional practices that support or hinder the rights of children and young people in the child protection system in El Salvador. Using an institutional ethnography approach, 61 individuals who worked directly or indirectly in the child protection system were interviewed. The findings highlight a lack of manuals that establish concrete practices in accordance with the application of the Law of Comprehensive Protection for Children and Youth, which reduces the effectiveness of the country’s child protection system. Through an analytical approach based on symbolic interactionism, this study explored how the individual interpretations of the law, or lack thereof, combine with socioeconomic disadvantages to create difficulties for rural child protection institutions in terms of accessing operational resources.

Keywords : Child protection system; children and youth; symbolic interactionism; El Salvador; Lepina Law; systems coordination; practice protocols; human rights; institutional practices.

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