The project Mariposa, promoted by the city of Leon, is co-financed by a contribution of the Tavola Valdese (the Waldensians’ community of Piedmont) and it is part of a previous project, financed by the Piedmont Regional Authority.
The project would contribute to the fight against sexual exploitation of the minor, offering a programme of total protection to girls and adolescents at high risk of exploitation.

Duration
October 2010 – September 2011

Context
Nicaragua is divided into 15 departments, 151 municipalities and two independent regions on the Caribbean coast. It has a population of 5.341.883, of which 57,9% live in urban areas and 42,1% in rural areas. Its population is mainly composed by young people: 51,7% are under 18 years of age.
Poverty affects 45,8% of the population. It is the second poorest country of Latin America and it has a high social and economical vulnerability and, because of its geographical position, it is at high risk of natural disasters.
The majority of its population is not aware of the people’s rights, has little access to public services and suffers from malnutrition, lives in gender-based inequalities situations, familiar violence, abuse and sexual exploitation, labour exploitation, particularly of children, girls and women.
Since the approval and the ratification of the UN Convention on the rights of the child in 1990, there have been significant efforts, following the agreements signed at international level.
The project was developed mainly in the Leon municipality and activities were planned /  in a network with the municipalities of Granada and San Juan del Sur.

Objectives of the project
The present project aims at contributing to the fights against sexual exploitation of the minor, offering a programme of total protection to girls and adolescents in high risk conditions in the city of Leon, in coordination with the municipal associations of Granada and San Juan del Sur, through:
Prevention programmes for girls and adolescents at high risk of exploitation (programmes against child labour exploitation and for school reintegration).
Programmes of ‘total care and rehabilitation for adolescent girls who are already facing sexual exploitation situations, offering them the chance of shaping their own future and a different life (hospitality in a refuge-home for difficult situations, medical care, psycho-social counselling, legal support, scholarships, home visits).
Awareness-raising programmes for the general population (through special campaigns), workshops and education with the subjects working or living with children at risk (parents, relatives, teachers, the police force, peddlers, bus and taxi drivers, bars and restaurants’ owners, etc.).
Programmes for the fight against sex tourism (coordinated with the Police, the municipalities, the Ministry of Tourism (INTUR), UNICEF and the local bodies for tourism).