SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 43
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For the families of children with disabilities, heavy demands and high stress, lack of support and services, and a deep sense of isolation aggravate the risk of violence within the household. Some families respond with neglect rather than with active violence. Others shield the child from contact with the outside world, including to protect him or her from abuse and stigmatization, sometimes in appalling conditions (such as windowless rooms or hot courtyards). Still others arrange for a "mercy killing" to put an end to the child's perceived suffering, at times as a result of pressure from or upon the advice of other family members or influential actors in the community.
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Non-negotiated soft law
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Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children