OAK PARK (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - As Hispanic Heritage Month continues, one local group is turning up the conversation on the young and vulnerable.
Tania Haigh is founder and executive director of KIDS TOO in west suburban Oak Park, which began in 2021.
She told WBBM that research shows 78% of Latinx kids suffer poverty, neglect or abuse, in comparison to 46% of overall kids in the U.S., and so Latinos need to make themselves heard in Chicago.
"We're always trying to say KIDS TOO is building off the #MeToo movement. The #MeeToo movement really highlighted a lot of survivor voices and adults [who] needed to be believed first before we could get to kids being believed. We are helping change the conversation because Latinx kids are now louder and more outspoken," Haigh said.
Haigh told WBBM during a recent visit to her office that young Latino voices need to be heard in Chicago.
"We hear just so much about the African-American exodus in the city, and I want to make sure that...We're also paying attention to the needs of Latinos because it is a very large population within Chicago, in fact the largest minority group," Haigh said.
Haigh said Latino households are often multi-generational, and parents might not know the language, or might be at work, so kids can be more vulnerable.
"There are certain taboo topics that Latino families don't like to talk about. And, those range from birth control to sexual abuse and other traumas. Latino youth are turning to technology and the digital landscape to get the information they need. And, that results in them feeling much more empowered and informed and they can make decisions and feel safer.
"So much just goes unsaid," Haigh said about those topics in Latino households.
"Family dynamics are really important and in particular Latino families which are very known to be close-knit families, multi-generational.
"You've got someone coming in, out of different countries. [It] is always something to pay attention to and all the more reason for kids to be believed and be empowered and for them to turn to resources and tools to ask for help or learn more about different situations so they can communicate and express what might be going on is something we encourage. And we see the youth, they're going to continue to drive those changes in Latino dynamics."
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