Insecurity and violence are significant sources of concern in the region, leading to serious human rights violations. Public opinion tends to associate these contexts with adolescents1, whom they largely blame for the lack of security in many communities. In particular, male adolescents living in poor, peripheral neighborhoods and belonging to traditionally excluded and discriminated groups are singled out. They are often stigmatized and pointed to as “social dangers” that must be controlled. However, reality differs from these perceptions and is much
more complex than this. Girls, boys, and adolescents, in fact, are groups most impacted by violence and rights violations in their diverse forms, as well as by organized crime. In general, the governments’ responses are inadequate to sufficiently protect the children most affected by these conditions, guarantee their
rights, and prevent their recruitment and use by organized crime.

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