UNICEF Peru.
August 2017
Children of the Amazon,
Moving Toward Equality
Introduction
Highlighting the reality of children and adolescents in
Perus Amazon regions for the rest of the country, the
authorities of the central government, the business sector,
and international cooperation is a first step to equality.
The dispersion of the population in the extensive
Amazonian territory, the geographical barriers to
accessing the areas where people live, the vast diversity
of indigenous languages spoken, and its absence from
the official history of Peru expressed in many ways
including the absence of current and disaggregated data
particularly at the provincial and district levels - have
resulted in Amazonian communities being invisible in the
collective imagination. As a result, the situation of this
population has seldom been seen as a national priority that
affects other citizens and hinders national development.
This historic neglect has created adverse circumstances
for development in the Amazon, most especially for
children. Even though in recent decades there has been
an increasing concern for improving the living conditions
in these communities, and despite the important
advances made, it is still important to acknowledge that
children and adolescents living in the Amazon are the
most excluded among the excluded.
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This document outlines just some of the regions many
challenges related to health, access to education and
protection against violence. Though not represented
in national statistics, other challenges are well known
at the community level. Climate change, among these
challenges, has begun to have an impact on everyday life
of Amazonian children. Intense rains, which have caused
the overflow of rivers and consequent flooding of houses
and schools, are phenomena that have been unknown to
the population until recent years.
UNICEF supports the efforts of the State to guarantee that
children and adolescents in the Amazon have all of the
opportunities required for their development. We work
so that children can be born into healthy conditions, have
their right to an identity fulfill, grow up well-nourished
and healthy, attend schools that are culturally relevant
and support them in reaching their full potential. We do
this with the certainty that only in this way will they build
their own futures and support the development of their
communities and the country. We hope that you will also
take up this important work with us.
Maria Luisa Fornara
Representative of UNICEF in Peru
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Safe water for a
healthy life
In the Peruvian jungle, seven hours along the Amazon River from Iquitos leads us to the
community of Jorge Chavez, which is in the district of Indiana in the Loreto region. In Jorge
Chavez, only 3 of every 10 people have access to potable water
In communities like this one, boys and girls are often sick with diarrhea, vomiting and
headaches from drinking the river water.
Jeni Murallari is a mother and
represents her community. For
many months she and other
community members in Jorge
Chavez have experienced
substantial changes in their lives
they have received clean water
in their homes. They collect rain
water in cylinders and through
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chlorine filters it is converted into
clean water for handwashing, toilet
and kitchen use. It used to be
dangerous to take water from the
Now we have river and use it, my children always
got sick. Now we have good water
good water so we can see our children grow
so we can see well, she says.
our children Once there was access to clean
grow well
and filtered water it was important
to establish a sanitation system.
2
.
Going to the toilet outside was
dangerous, vipers could bite us.
And when it rained a lot it was very
difficult to find a safe place to do
our business, she explains.
Jeni speaks in the past tense
because now the community of
Jorge Chavez has installed 14
ecological toilets for families and
an ecological toilet in the school.
Now it is different. To have a toilet
in my house allows me to give
my children the best health they
can have. Thanks to the mayor of
Indiana and to UNICEF for giving
us these ecological toilets, and to
all the people that have given their
support, says Jeni, happy to see
the progress in her life and in her
community.

Overview
of life in the Amazon
According to the second census of indigenous
communities, in the Peruvian Amazon, conducted in 2007,
the Ashaninka and Aguaruna peoples (also called the
Awajun) make up 43.2% of the total indigenous population,
while other ethnic groups represent less than 7%.
Paradoxically, for people living in these communities on the
banks of the worlds largest river by volume, drinking a glass
of water is not as safe or as easy as it is for the inhabitants
of Lima considered the worlds second largest city built
on a desert. A decade ago the population census revealed
that only 5% of households in Amazonian indigenous
communities have access to water services (that is services
with a connection to the public network inside or outside the
dwelling or station for public use). More recent data from
the National Household Survey (ENAHO 2015) showed that
more than 60% of homes in the Amazon have access to
improved sources of water. In Lima this percentage is more
than 90%. The national average is more than 80%.
The Amazon is home to an economically disadvantaged
population that must pay more for its basic needs, despite
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its immense wealth of natural resources including
livestock, vegetation, natural energy and mineral
resources.
Although poverty has declined in the second decade of
this century, there are still marked differences between
rural and urban populations and between indigenous
populations and those that speak Spanish as their first
language. By 2015, rural poverty was at 42,2%, which
doubles urban poverty at 21,7%. In addition, more
people who speak an indigenous language (54%) are
living in poverty, than those who speak Spanish (27%).
The Amazon is also suffering from the effects of climate
change, which is influencing the onset of diseases and
creating barriers to accessing food as well as water and
sanitation services.
All of these challenges in the Amazon poverty and
inequality, lack of access to safe water and nutrition,
increased exposure to disease and mortality especially
impact children and adolescents.
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UNICEF Per/Bonacini L.
Health
Chronic malnutrition, anemia and adolescent pregnancy
are some of the challenges affecting children and
adolescents of the Amazon.
The first two can be linked to inadequate diet, usually
poor in protein and recurrent diarrheal infections caused
by lack of access to safe drinking water and basic hygiene
services at home.
The national average of people living with anemia in 2015
was 43.5%. In the five Amazonian regions, however, 51.5%
of children between 6 and 35 months of age suffered from
anemia. We see this reality is even worse where Spanish is
not spoken as the mother tongue, affecting 63% of children
from those communities. Because of the significant
impact that anemia has on cognitive development, children
of the Amazon - and especially those from indigenous
communities - are at a disadvantage in terms of their ability
to develop to their full potential.
Since 2009, chronic malnutrition in children has declined
throughout Peru. However, the gap between the Amazon
region and the rest of the country is still evident. On
average, 7% more children are affected by chronic
malnutrition in the Amazon than in the rest of Peru. As
with other statistics, the gap is greater for children who
speak a first language other than Spanish.
From a western perspective teenage pregnancy is
considered a problem for all of the potential risks to
4
Percentage of adolescent girls ages 15-19
years old who have been pregnant
Peru
Amazon
Amazon / Spanish speaking
Amazon / Indigenous languages
mother and baby. However, in Amazonian communities
especially in rural indigenous communities this is
not seen as a problem. Nor is it seen as a problem that
these pregnancies are often a consequence of marriages
between young girls and older men.
However, a closer look reveals that being poor and
indigenous are two things that play a role in teenage
pregnancy. By 2015, 12.8% of adolescent girls in Peru
aged 15 to 19 had experienced a pregnancy at some
point in their lives. In the same year in the Amazon, this
figure was 42.3%. In the poorest fifth of the population,
48% of adolescents in the referred age range had already
experienced a pregnancy. The same applies for 58% of
adolescents who speak a language other than Spanish as
their mother tongue.
 UNICEF Per/Bonacini L.
Teenage pregnancy,
anemia and dropping out of school
Marisa is 17 years old and her son Cristian is 1 year and 8 months. They live in a community
2 hours from Pucallpa in the Ucayali region. Her life has not been easy. Her sons father,
who is several years older than she is, left them. She wants to continue studying, but that
depends on my father. If he wants me to, Ill go back to school one day, she says, hopefully.

When he was almost one year old,

Cristian began to lose weight. He
was diagnosed with anemia. In
his community about 6 out of 10
children under 3 years of age have
anemia, and 3 out of 10 suffer from
malnutrition.
Marisa tells us that she only eats
twice a day at home and when
there is nothing else to eat, she
eats only noodles and rice.
Ever since the Health Centre
nurse explained the damaging
effects of anemia to Marisa, she
has insisted that her son eat fish.
Most would rather sell their
animals to have money than eat
meat. Now that I know whats
happening though, I would rather
feed him better.
Most would
rather sell
She also now gives her son
micronutrients. Before I didnt give their animals
them to him because he didnt like
them, but now I mix them in well
to have money
with other foods so he can eat them. than eat meat.
Cristian is slowly recovering and
Now that I know
already has a hemoglobin count whats happening
of 10. The Ministry of Health and
UNICEF are promoting the use of though, I would
micronutrients as one of the most
rather feed
him better.
effective methods for reversing
childhood anemia. If we do things
right, we can save our children,
says Marisa as she looks at Cristian
giving her a smile, which for her is
the best reward.

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UNICEF Per/Moreno M.
Education
There have been important advances in the field of education
in recent years, generally speaking. By 2015, attendance at
preschool and primary school were already close to 100%,
at the same level as in the rest of the country. By contrast,
grade repetition, timely completion of primary school and
learning achievement rates, although showing significant
improvements, are still far from national averages.
The historic neglect of the Amazon region has been reflected in
its difficulty keeping pace with national averages, despite great
efforts. For example, between 2008 and 2015 the percentage
of Amazonian students in second grade of primary school that
met expected learning standards quintupled. However, this
level of achievement is still barely half the national average.
One of the objectives of education is to provide knowledge
and skills for adolescents so they can develop their lives to
their full potential and contribute to the development of their
communities. In the Amazon, the vast majority of students do
not complete their secondary education by the expected age.
This situation is more pronounced among students who speak
a first language other than Spanish (only 20% complete their
secondary education), students that belong to the poorest
quintile (less than 20% complete their secondary education),
and those that live in rural areas (40%).
This reality reflects the significant barriers to accessing
secondary education faced by rural indigenous populations.
6
Percentage of students in second grade of
primary school that meet learning standards in
mathematics
Peru
Peru - Urban
Peru - Rural
Amazon
Urban amazon
Rural amazon
Discrimination is still a reality for those who speak a first
language other than Spanish, hindering access to the
education system for children and adolescents from rural
areas. According to the qualitative study on which this
document is based, many children and adolescents in the
Amazon are marginalized, harassed and humiliated just for
speaking differently.
Serious efforts are being made to strengthen Intercultural
Bilingual Education (IBE). However, there are not always
trained teachers available in the communities that require
IBE. Instead, community members with limited teaching
knowledge fill the roles of IBE teachers, which has
implications for the students.

Protecting children of the Amazon against different
forms of violence, abuse, exploitation and trafficking
situations that are often culturally tolerated, and to
which children are more exposed the less education they
have and the greater the economic poverty their families
experience presents great challenges, which include
guaranteeing legal rights and access to public services
through National Identity Document (DNI) registration.
In Children of the Amazon, Moving Toward Equality
we focus on identity registration as well as violence
against children because there is relatively recent
quantitative information available. However, we must
note the need to deepen our understanding and approach
to other challenges that put the rights of children and
adolescents at risk, and deprive them of opportunities
for development.
Since 2011, there has been a steady increase in the
number of children under 12 months old that are
registered with a National Identity Document (DNI) both
nationally and in Amazon regions. By 2015, the national
average of those registered in the above age range was
85%, the average in the rural Amazon regions was 60%,
and among Amazonian indigenous communities it was
49.5%. Again here we find that behind national averages
lie very different regional realities.
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Protection
Physical violence against children is a national problem
that is often socially tolerated, as physical punishment
is considered a corrective and educative measure.
However, it is in the Amazon that more cases of physical
violence against children are found, especially among
economically poor and rural residents. In 2015, the
national average of mothers and fathers using physical
violence as a means of punishment reached 30%. In
the Amazon the percentage was 50.3% of mothers and
fathers using violence as a means of punishment with
their children. In the Amazons poorest quintile and in
rural areas, this percentage reaches as high as 60%.
Percentage of mothers that use physical
punishment as a form of discipline with
their children
Peru
Peru - Urban
Peru - Rural
Peru / Spanish speaking
Amazon
Urban Amazon
Rural Amazon
Amazon Spanish speaking
Amazon - Indigenous languages
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UNICEF Per/Maratuech J.

Recommendations

a. Increase all efforts to reduce

inequities affecting children and
adolescents in Perus Amazon
regions, in particular the historically
neglected and most affected
Amazonian indigenous population.

b.
Guarantee that public policies
aimed at the Amazon and its
people are culturally relevant and
appropriate for the local context

A world and the diversity of the Amazons

indigenous populations. Keeping
without teenage these dynamics in mind is vital to
the success of policies.
pregnancy
c. Continue efforts to raise awareness
Paola Pacheco lives in the Shipibo community of Nuevo about the problems affecting the
Paraiso. She is an obstetrician at the Health Centre Amazons indigenous population
called Jainoax Raometi Xobo (house of healing). Two and the circumstances that create
hours by boat on the Ucayali River take you to this these challenges. Visibility and
district of the Ucayali region. Paola arrived 5 years ago collective understanding are the
to address, among other issues, one that changes life starting points for creating and
completely: teenage pregnancy. implementing effective policies for
the Amazonian population.
She says there have been many to the Health Centre to have their
times that she has had to attend babies. With honesty, patience
to girls as young as 12 years and information she has earned
old. As the person in charge of the trust of the community. This is a task that calls on all of
working with adolescents in the Many didnt know that having a us the State, civil society and
community she also advises and baby at such a young age puts international cooperation. Taking
talks with them. This closeness them at risk, and many didnt up this work is fundamental to close
with the youth has taken a lot know they were anemic. When gaps and ensure equal opportunities
of hard work. There has been I explained these things to them for all children.
a lot of resistance. They dont they immediately wanted to do
come to the health centre something to mitigate the risks.
for care and when they have Lets make sure
given birth, they have gone to Paola is convinced that the ability
to walk alongside and learn from
that children and
midwives.
a different culture can change the
adolescents of the
Gradually, however, the young future of an unborn child. That Amazon are not left
women and their mothers began is what the Health Centre and behind!
to build trust and confidence and UNICEF are working towards.
now go to the Health Centre. The rights of girls and the culture
When they are ready to give of the people can go hand in
birth I go to their houses to help hand towards a future of change
them. Some are already coming and prosperity. More information in:
https://www.unicef.org/peru