SOCIOCULTURAL INTEGRATION AND RIGHTS OF IMMIGRANT CHILDREN IN THE LOCAL CONTEXT. THE CASE OF THE RECOLETA DISTRICT (METROPOLITAN REGION, CHILE)
INTEGRACIÓN SOCIOCULTURAL Y DERECHOS DE LAS NIÑAS Y LOS NIÑOS MIGRANTES EN EL CONTEXTO LOCAL. EL CASO DE RECOLETA
(REGIÓN METROPOLITANA, CHILE)
Iskra Pavez-Soto
Sociocultural integration of migrant children is increasingly becoming an issue of local interest, as it is in the family, school and neighbourhood where rights are exercised and integration is experienced. Within this perspective, this article analyzes the sociocultural integration of immigrant children in the Recoleta district in Santiago (Chile). Data for this qualitative study have been collected through interviews with immigrant children ages 6 to14 both from Peru and born in Chile to immigrant parents. The study concludes that social rights (like health and education) are exercised in Recoleta. However, social integration is greatly affected by poverty, exclusion and discrimination. Even though their voices are not always heard in matters directly affecting them –like their own migration–, these children actively participate in local associations that strengthen a sense of belonging and promote a critical reflection on the cultural forms of “being a girl and a boy, here and now”.
