Children’s health and safety threatened by lack of social justice

With one of the highest poverty rates in the nation, New Mexico faces many issues of social justice and the development of healthy children. The story from New Mexico State University...

Poverty, lack of parental support and the absence of social justice often encourage children to embrace a dangerous life of violence, says Lisa Bond-Maupin, New Mexico State University assistant professor of criminal justice.

:::18 sec Soundbite “I think there are threats at a variety of levels. There are threats at the level of adults not coming through for kids just in terms of their basic needs and helping them to live to their fullest potential and there are threats related to that that come from young people learning to use violence as a resource.”

Maupin says many of these children have been exposed to unsafe housing, educational marginalization, poor health care and unsafe neighborhoods. She says all community members share the responsibility to create a society where children are safe, healthy and have many educational opportunities. Maupin and her colleagues at New Mexico State University are working to address issues of social justice.